One Shots and Imagines
by Aint It Fun
Summary: Okay- so like I said I just have no time to write anything full length right now but I miss writing love stories. Ugh. So I'm doing one-shots and imagines. I'm into a ton of fandoms so take your pick so get ready.
1. Love Sick- Jim Kirk

A/N: This is basically where I'm going to dump all my one-shots for different fandoms. I've gotten a ton of requests for some Jim Kirk love and decided to finally give it a shot! This is my first time writing his character and the Star Trek world in general. TBH I don't much about the Trekkie universe so I made up some things and used google for others. Hopefully I'll get a little better with Jim's character asI continue to practice. But I LOVED writing this! So much fun! Hope you enjoy!

#

"You're pushing it, Vi. Another minute and you'd be late."

I rolled my eyes playfully as I brushed past the dark haired doctor and into the ship's clinic. "Oh come on, Bones. As you just stated, I'm not even late yet. And you're already giving me a hard time. Is that anyway to welcome a girl aboard?" I joked.

"Welcome aboard. Don't be late. How's that?" He said sarcastically.

I hid my smile, knowing full well that Bones' gruffness was just a cover up for the softer side of his personality. He was one of the kindest people I'd ever met, yet for some reason always seemed to get embarrassed whenever I brought this up. I suspected it had a lot to do with his past. Specifically his ex-wife who had royally damaged him.

"If I'm not mistaken, Doc, you specifically requested me as your intern." I said lightly, pulling my hair back into a ponytail and using the reflection from one of the glass medicine cabinets as a mirror.

He huffed. "Don't get cocky about it." But even as he walked past, he squeezed my shoulder.

I tightened my ponytail and turned around to face the medical bay. I was so full of excitement, it was a wonder I hadn't exploded yet. Here I was, a Star Fleet medic in training. More specifically, a Star Fleet medic in training aboard the Entreprise. The Enterprise! It was an assignment any intern would've killed for and I'd been lucky enough to have been plucked straight from medical school by Dr. McCoy himself. He'd visited the school on several different occasions, both to instruct and to scope out new recruits.

I hadn't even realized he'd noticed me until he'd contacted me a few months before the start of the new school year, asking if I'd be interested in taking my training aboard an actually Star Fleet ship. He'd almost taken my speechlessness as a refusal, until I stammered out an 'are you serious?'. Since then, my life had been a whirlwind of training and preparation for this very moment.

"What the hell did you do now?" I suddenly heard Bones sigh.

I turned away from the data I'd been logging into the computer system to see a towering 6'0" frame in the doorway, sky blue eyes glinting with amusement.

"Really? How about 'are you okay, Jim'. We really gotta work on that bedside manner." The man said sarcastically and I fought back a smile. He was cradling one of his hands against his chest, and I could see a white cloth wrapped around his palm.

Whoever he was, he was sure nice to look at. The eyes alone were enough for reason to stare, but then factor in the height, the cute boyish face, the slightly mischievous smile...If I hadn't been a trained medical professional, I might've swooned at the sight of him.

Bones pointed to an empty medical bed and the man sat down without complaint.

"Maybe I'd be more concerned if you hadn't sauntered in here, like you were just out for a stroll. I hardly think a flesh wound is cause for alarm." Bones muttered. "What did you do anyways?"

"Cut it." The man answered with a simple, nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

Bones back was to me, but I was almost certain he was rolling his eyes. "Violet, patch up the captain for me, will ya'? Consider this your first trial run."

My pulse jolted at the word 'captain'. So this was him then? I felt my eyes go wide. This was Captain James T. Kirk? I'd heard stories, from pretty much anyone and everyone. The man was a walking, living legend. The things he'd done, the people he'd saved. My mouth felt dry for a moment. That golden colored uniform shirt looked mighty good stretched across his muscled torso. I mentally shook myself. This was the captain. I couldn't drool over the man who ran the Enterprise.

"Sure, Doc." I said quickly. Captain Kirk's eyes had lazily drifted towards me and he was watching me with mild amusement, a smile smile stretching the corners of his mouth. I turned to the cabinet of supplies, pulling the spray applicator as well as the dermal regenerator. I arranged the items on a med tray and carried them carefully across the room.

I swallowed my nerves and smiled at the handsome man in front of me as I took a seat. "It's nice to finally meet you, Captain Kirk. Mind if I take a look at that hand?"

His eyes never leaving mine, he held out his hand to me. His smile had turned amused. "Call me Jim, I insist. And you are?"

I swore I heard Bones snort from somewhere behind me, but I ignored him. Instead, I turned Jim's palm over in my hand to see a shallow gash that ran the width of his palm. "Violet Burgess. Intern."

"It's a pleasure, Violet the Intern." His voice was smooth, almost like honey. Yet with a slight teasing undertone that I couldn't help but wonder was always there.

"Likewise." I said as I sprayed his hand with the antibiotic, anti-inflammatory spray in the chrome bottle. "You know, this isn't so bad. You probably could've done it yourself."

"Yeah and miss out on an opportunity to see my good friend, Bones?" Jim said and my eyes flickered upwards to see him shooting a shit eating grin towards Bones who grunted in response. "Besides, I wasn't far anyways."

I carefully cleaned the wound on his hand, trying to ignore the warmth of his skin as I worked. "Well, I'm honored that the captain gets to be my first patient." I said, giving him a smile. I turned on the dermal regenerator, the blue glow of electric energy coming to life. He had callouses across his palm and fingers, the marks of someone who had worked hard to get to where they were.

"Pleasure's all mine. And even if you mess up and I end up losing a finger, I won't hold it against you." He smirked and I felt my breath catch in my throat. Was he flirting with me?

"Hm, well let's hope for your sake it's not your trigger finger." I joked, and I was rewarded with a chuckle. I held his injured hand gently in mine, and picked up the shiny medical instrument. Furrowing my eyebrows in concentration, I ran the blue beam of light slowly across his palm. The wound closed up before my eyes. Even after all this time, modern technology never failed to astound me. "There, good as new."

Jim lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers, before examining the healed cut. There wouldn't even be a scar left behind. "I gotta say, Violet, you're much, much more pleasant than Bones is." He grinned at me and I felt myself automatically smiling back. "Can you be my doctor instead?"

"Jim. Get the hell out of here and stop flirting with my intern." Bones barked, barely sparing a glance towards us from his stool on the other side of the room. I felt my cheeks grow pink, and when I glanced back at Jim, he winked at me.

"Oh come on, you know I'm kidding." He stood and strode across the room, clapping his friend on the shoulder. "Love to stay and hang out but duty calls. Thanks for your help, Violet." He slid his hands into his pockets before giving me one last smile and sidling out of the room.

I was still sitting a little dazed on the stool when I realized Bones was watching me. When I glanced over at him, he shook his head. "Don't even think about it."

#

Even without a multitude of patients to look over (Bones warned me, though, that this could change in a second depending on what communicable disease everyone was afraid was spreading that week), there was still plenty to do. And even more to learn. Bones seemed to hand me one task after the other, squeezing my shoulder and assuring me that if I felt overwhelmed, I was doing a good job. How that logic made sense, I still hadn't figured out. Yet even with as busy as I was, I still had time once in a while to think about a certain blue eyed Enterprise captain. Jim hadn't reappeared in the sick bay since the week before, but I'd seen him in passing and heard his voice over the intercom. How was it that he sounded just as good as he looked?

"Ow!" I let out a hiss of pain, snatching my hand away from the surgical beam I'd been practicing with. Somehow, I'd managed to zap my finger under the beam of the machine. By not paying attention.

Across the room Bones raised his eyebrows. "Quit living in your head and you wouldn't get hurt.

I stuck out my tongue at him and he chuckled, going back to running his lab tests. He was hell bent on curing every virus susceptible by the human species. I gave him credit, but it was time consuming work with little result. Deciding I'd had enough practice, I returned the high tech scalpel to the cabinet where I'd found it, and was just shutting the door, when I caught sight of a familiar reflection in the shiny chrome surface.

I couldn't help but grin as I spun around, placing my hands on my hips. "Back so soon? Lemme guess...you bumped your head?" I teased him.

He grinned back, sidling into the room and making himself at home on one of the edge of the patient beds. "No, think I'm coming down with something." He coughed into his fist for good measure, but it sounded fake. The innocent smile that appeared on his face afterwards assured me I was probably right. "Hey Bones."

"Hey yourself." Bones answered, not bothering to glance away from his work. He was bent over a microscope and looked preoccupied.

I shrugged, figuring that was a sign I was meant to deal with the captain. "Give me a second and I'll grab the tricorder. The scan should only take a few seconds." Although I was fairly certain a scan of Jim's vitals would show a perfectly healthy human being. He looked far from sick, no pale skin or dark circles under his eyes. So what was his game here? To annoy Bones? Was he testing me to see if I was capable of continuing to intern on his ship? ...Or was it possibly something else completely?

"No, I don't trust that crap. We need to do this old school." He said with a nod, folding his hands in his lap. With his pleasant, boyish expression he reminded me a preteen up to no good.

I perked an eyebrow. "Old school?"

"Yeah, you know! Stethoscopes and that little light up thingy you shine in the ears and stuff." Jim explained, and I was shaking my head in amusement before he'd even finished.

"You know that the tricorders have a 99.9% accuracy rate, right?"

He shrugged. "They say that about everything these days."

I decided to humor him. "Okay, one old school check up coming up."

It took me a couple minutes to gather all the supplies I'd need. In that time, I would've had him scanned and diagnosed, and possibly started treatment. We'd been trained in standardized methods in school, but they were rarely used. Necessary to learn, though, in the even that there was no working technology to rely on. I dropped down onto one of the gliding stools and scooted closer to Jim until I was directly in front of him. There was a tiny smirk fighting one corner of his mouth and I tried to my maintain my professionalism and ignore it.

"Okay, where does it hurt?" I asked.

He furrowed his brows. "Well, Doc, I think I might be coming down with a good, ol'fashioned cold."

"Mhm." I said mildly, reaching towards him and gently placing my finger tips underneath where his glands were. He flinched a little and I smiled. "Cold hands, sorry. Glands don't feel swollen though."

"Better go through the whole routine, just in case." He said cheerfully.

I shook my head as I stood up, moving to check his ears. "If you insist, captain."

"I do. And it's Jim, remember." He reminded me gently. "So tell me, how did you end up on my ship anyways?"

"Your friend Dr. McCoy recruited me himself. Said I had 'some real promising talent'." There was a note of pride on my voice. I cast a beaming smile towards Bones who I thought hadn't heard me until a small smile of his own appeared on his face. "Before that I was at the academy. Say 'Ah'."

"Ah." Jim stuck out his tongue as I pointed a narrow beam of light into the back of his throat.

"No redness."

"Strange. I could've sworn I was sick a minute ago. Anyways, so you got sent up here. Anyone back on the ground waiting for you? Family? Friends? Possibly a future Mr. Violet the Intern?" He said it casually, but I felt momentarily frozen in the startling blueness of his eyes.

"Are you asking if I'm single, Captain?" I questioned, stepping back from him before motioning for him to open his mouth for the thermometer. "Open."

He clamped his lips around the thermometer. "No, course not...that'd be inappropriate." He managed to mutter around it.

"No talking." i chided him. He made a show of folding his hands in his lap and pressing his lips together. I smiled in amusement as he held my gaze. The minute I heard the beep, I removed the thermometer and checked his temperature. "Normal."

"Anyways, as I was saying, I was just making conversation." He shrugged.

"Right. But to answer your question family and friends are waiting, but no Mr." I grabbed the stethoscope that hung around my neck and placed the buds into my ears. "One last check. I need to hear your heartbeat. And fair warning, this is much colder than my hands were."

He grimaced but nodded. "So how long are you gonna be ab- ah, damn that's cold!" He flinched as I slid the stethoscope beneath the back of his shirt.

"I warned you!" I insisted. "Now deep breath."

He inhaled deeply before letting the air out. "You didn't answer."

"Another. And I'm not sure. For a while." I answered truthfully. I moved around to stand in-between his legs and motioned for him to lift his shirt. Professionalism, I reminded myself as I caught a flash of his abdomen. My pulse had picked up speed out of nowhere as I placed the stethoscope against the smooth skin of his chest. We were barely inches a part, and although what I was doing was standard medical procedure, it felt oddly intimate to be that close to him. He smelled good too, somehow woodsy. Like pine trees.

"One last deep breath." I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. I was certain that Jim had noticed, though, judging by the mischief glinting in his eyes. We locked eyes as he let out a breath slowly through pursed lips, and god he had perfect lips. Had I already said that?

"Oh for crying out loud, this is a check up not a date!" I heard Bones scold. I felt my cheeks flush as I realized I was still staring. I quickly took a step back, putting some much needed space between us.

Jim rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Lay off, Bones. We're not doing anything."

"My ass you aren't."

"You're perfectly fine. I mean healthy. You're not sick." I explained quickly, for some reason the word 'fine' conjuring up an entirely different meaning in my head.

He pretended to frown, rubbing the back of his neck. "Huh...and I suddenly feel much better too." He hopped up off the bed, stretching his arms over his head and revealing a stretch of his toned tummy. I caught myself staring for a moment before quickly turning away and busying myself cleaning up.

"Must be a miracle." I said over my shoulder. "Anything else?"

He rocked back on his heels, looking thoughtful before shaking his head. "Not at the moment, but thank you for your excellent medical opinion."

Then, just like before, he was gone. Leaving me to stare after him in wonder. I didn't want to overthink it, or make something out of nothing, but I was positive he'd shown up just to see me. Even in my head, though, the idea sounded more like wishful thinking than reality.

#

Wishful thinking slowly turned to confirmation, though, as Jim became a regular in the sick bay. If it wasn't the common cold or some other obscure virus, it was a headache, a sore rib, an ear ache, and once a hangnail. As the ails he complained of became more and more ridiculous, I found myself finding it harder and harder to resist his quirky adorableness. Each time, he'd sit and ask me dozens of questions about myself as I worked to diagnose him with something I knew he didn't actually have: what was my favorite color? Favorite food? Did I like books? Sports? What did I think of the ship? Was it too chrome?

I was pretty certain Bones was going to murder us both. He'd started busying himself elsewhere whenever Jim would appear, only to return later to scold me to be careful. That Jim was a good guy, but he was also captain of the ship and therefore my superior. He wasn't wrong, and I knew any sort of entanglement other than friendship could end badly and I'd have a one way ticket back to solid ground. Still, despite all the reasons why I shouldn't have liked him and shouldn't have been interested, each time he showed, I kept waiting for that official invitation. Why hadn't he asked me out yet? Eventually, I wondered if maybe it was just a game. A way to amuse himself? Yet Jim had never struck me as that type of person, despite the fact that his good looks implied he could get away with almost whatever he wanted.

It was late. Bones had checked out for the night, leaving me to finish up my work before calling it a night myself. It was that quiet time of night, late enough where I expected most of the ship's occupants to be fast asleep. I always felt more functional late at night and I was on a roll with updating the computer system with the crews' most recent medical histories when I was suddenly aware of a presence behind me. I swiveled on my stool and my stomach fluttered. Jim smiled at me, leaning one shoulder against the doorway. He was still in his uniform, although his hair was sticking up slightly as if he'd been running his hand through it over and over again.

"So? What is it now?" I asked, quirking a smile. "Pink eye? Restless Leg Syndrome? Flesh eating bacteria?"

He laughed. "Thank god, no." He pushed himself off the wall, and despite his attempt at relaxed posture, I swore he looked nervous. "Actually, I think it might be pretty serious." He added, blue eyes widening with exaggerated concern.

I tilted my head gently to one side. "Really? Go on."

"Well...sometimes I get these really weird sensations in my stomach. You know, like maybe there's an animal in there. A bird, or a bat."

I held back a laugh, and I could tell he was teasing from the spark in his eyes but he held up a finger and continued.

"Haven't been sleeping...lie awake forever and sometimes I'll start thinking about something in particular, and I can't stop smiling. It's very unnerving to just lie in your bed alone and smile at the ceiling. And then other times I'll get sort of this racing heart sensation. Like my pulse is jumping out of my skin, but it only happens in certain situations. Not to mention I'm behaving very oddly. I caught myself singing in the shower this morning, I complimented Spock yesterday...it's getting pretty risky." He nodded, still feigning complete seriousness.

My own heart had started furiously pounding against my ribcage, and I suddenly felt like I also had something fluttering in my stomach. One side of his mouth lifted in a nervous smile as he waited for me to say something. I cleared my throat. "And when did these symptoms start?

He glanced up the ceiling for a moment, looking thoughtful before his eyes found me again. "Couple weeks ago? Specifically the day I wandered in here and you patched my hand up."

Okay, flock of seagulls in my stomach not butterflies. "Sounds familiar."

His eyes lit up. "Really, are you saying it's contagious? Interesting, because most of these symptoms only happen around you." His smile morphed into a full on grin.

I ducked my head to hide my flushing cheeks, gathering my composure for a moment before looking back at him and standing from the stool. With my stomach tumbling like a gymnast I crossed the room until I stood in front of him. "Captain Kirk...is this your cheesy way of asking me out?"

He gave me a sheepish look. "Oh come on, it's a little bit adorable, right? I spent days coming up with this stuff."

My cheeks hurt from how hard I was smiling at him. "You are an adorable cornball."

"So is that a yes?"

The hopefulness in his voice about killed me. I nodded enthusiastically and he fist pumped into the air before suddenly turning on that same mock serious look. "Important question. How do you feel about kissing before the first date?"

I tugged my lower lip in-between my teeth and shrugged. "Kiss first, date later. What if you're an awful kisser and I don't find out until after the first date?" I teased.

He raised both eyebrows. "I would be offended if I hadn't taken that as an invitation to kiss you right now."

I was still smiling as he closed the space between us, pressing his lips to mine. Both his hands cupped my face, fingers slowly sliding into my hair. I felt breathless as I clung to the front of his shirt, lost in the way his body felt pressed against mine, the smell of pine that I was certain now was his shampoo, and his calloused finger tips now running down my arms. His tongue parted my lips open as the kiss deepened. His fingertips suddenly gripped my hips and I felt myself being gently guided backwards until my back hit the cold chrome of one of the cabinets.

"Violet, you here still- for the love of god, man! What did I say about flirting with the intern?"

My eyes shot open and I pushed against Jim's chest as Bones' voice cracked the silence. Jim didn't budge, though, instead pulling my closer to him as he grinned apologetically over at his friend. "You specifically said no flirting. Which leaves a lot of gray area."

Bones frowned, shaking his head. He stalked into the room and swiped his forgotten bag off the counter. "Get a room next time. And Violet, if he makes you late to work-"

"Goodnight, Dr. McCoy!" I called back with a smile, as Jim leaned in for yet another kiss.


	2. Dance With Me- Castiel

Across the table, Castiel had a slight frown on his face as he poured over yet another book of lore. I'd offered to trade and let him use the laptop for a while, but he'd declined. Technology and Cas still hadn't meshed very well. I'd once caught him trying to yell orders at the computer, becoming incredibly frustrated and then confused when I couldn't stop laughing. His utter cluelessness was at times the greatest source of amusement. Not to mention utterly adorable. There was a slight crease in his forehead, sitting as still as a statue aside from his eyes which swept from one side of the page to the other.

"Why are you watching me?" He suddenly muttered in his gruff voice, making me jump a little.

"Trying to figure out how the hell you read so fast. Is that a super power or something?" I asked, my cheeks flushing a little at having been caught staring. Luckily he had yet to look up from what he was doing.

"I would hardly call the ability to read literature at an accelerated rate a power." He answered in a typical Cas fashion, causing a tiny smile to tug at the corners of my mouth.

"Sarcasm, Cas." I reminded him gently and his frown grew more pronounced. He let out a tiny 'oh' sound as I leaned back in my chair, shutting the lid of the laptop with a snap.

It was only then that he finally glanced up at me. "But we haven't found an answer to the case Sam and Dean are on. They specifically asked us to-"

"Relax." I sighed, running my hands through my hair before propping my chin in my hands and resting my elbow on the table. "We need a break, we've been at it for hours. Besides, if they would've let me come with them..." I trailed, not exactly sure where my train of thought had been going besides to just once again acknowledge how bitter I was at being left behind.

"Ryleigh..." Cas said, a knowing look in his very blue eyes.

"I know, I know." I sighed, ignoring the fluttering in my stomach at the sound of my name leaving his lips. I'd been furious when the boy had ordered, not asked, me to sit this one out. I got why...a broken rib really wasn't helpful during a hunt but still. I didn't like feeling useless. And when Cas had insisted on staying behind with me, well that had caused an entirely new set of issues.

I was somewhat terrified of being alone with him. For the simple reason that the angel elicited in me feelings that weren't exactly in my control. I wasn't sure how long I'd been in love with Castiel, but I suspected it was a while. Longer than I cared to admit. And being alone with him for an unforeseen amount of time...that was scary. Castiel was my friend. The closest person in my life aside from Sam and Dean. And, oh, he was an angel. I was a human. He didn't feel the same way. I could've gone on and on but I realized Cas was watching me with a puzzled expression.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked.

"Fine, just tired. My brain hurts from all this research." I complained. I reached for the volume control on the portable speakers I'd planted on the table, unable to work without music. I twisted the knob until the sound became louder. "Five minutes. Then we can work."

Castiel looked thoughtful about it for a moment, and I was almost sure he'd insist on continuing to work but he surprised me by nodding. "Five minutes."

I pushed back my chair, the legs scraping against the bunker's concrete floor. I stood, stretching my arms over my head, feeling the hem of my t-shirt rise just enough for the cold air to hit my bare stomach. When I glanced over at Castiel, he averted his gaze quickly, looking suddenly entirely too interested in the light fixture hanging overhead.

I raised my eyebrows slightly. "I'm grabbing a beer."

"It's barely noon." Cas said, although he didn't say it disapprovingly. Just as if he'd pointed out an important fact.

I smiled. "Exactly."

I pivoted on my heel and headed towards the kitchen, feeling a moment of relief once I was out of his presence. Good lord, I had to get a handle on my little crush. Sam had already figured it out and I'd made him swear on his life to never ever tell a soul. Especially Dean, who would find entirely too much glee in the matter. I pulled the fridge open and grabbed a cold beer from the very back, twisting off the cap before taking a long swig.

I hummed along to the song playing on the radio as I reentered the library, recognizing the song. I turned on my toe, spinning in a circle and gliding as gracefully as possible back towards the table.

"What are you doing?" Cas asked, tilting his head softly to one side, that puppy dog way I loved so much.

"Dancing." I said obviously. "We've been sitting for hours, my body is all cramped up." I did another unimpressive pirouette, spilling a little beer on the floor in the process. "Whoops."

I glanced at Cas to see a rare, tiny smile on his lips. I wasn't sure if it was that, or the fact that there was zero chance of the boys walking in on us, that I asked something I never thought in a million words I would say to a trench coat wearing angel. "Dance with me?"

He seemed almost as surprised as I was, his eyes widened a little. He straightened up, and gave me a perplexed look. "Why?"

I let out a sigh and set my beer down before holding my hand out to him. "Because it would be rude to say no." I wiggled my fingers. "Come on, Cas."

He pulled his lower lip in-between his teeth before casting a look at the ground. "I...I've never danced before."

For some reason this surprised me, though it shouldn't have. Of course he had never danced. He was an angel. Still..."You mean they never had any wild parties up in heaven?" I asked jokingly.

"Not exactly. There are very strict rules about the manner in which one conducts themselves when serving as an angel of our heavenly father." He explained to me.

"Well we're on earth. So once dance. I'll teach you." I shrugged. I played it off very nonchalantly, but inside I was wondering why in hell I would be insisting like this...I mean there was the appeal of having him closer, but that was also incredibly dangerous.

He looked at me uncertainly for a moment and I was almost sure he was going to decline, but then he was slowly standing up and moving towards me. He shrugged out of his trench coat, making my heart jump. What was wrong with me? He was taking off his coat, for crying out loud. He had like three other layers underneath. But even without the trench coat, he looked different. I could see the why the white shirt snugly stretched across his chest, accentuating the muscles in his arms. And that crooked tie...I mentally shook myself.

"Now what?" Cas asked with genuine curiosity as he stood in front of me.

I rolled my eyes. There was at least a foot of space between us. "Well first, you need to be much closer."I reached out and grabbed his hand, gently tugging him closer to me until there was barely any space between us. Aware that my heart was already beating just a little too hard, I then took his hand and placed it on my waist. "That hand stays there. And this one..." I grabbed his other hand and closed his fingers around mine. "Like that."

His hand was warm in mine, the simple act of being close to him making my stomach tumble with nerves. I was hoping like hell he couldn't hear my heartbeat. It was hammering out an impressive rhythm against my ribcage. I took my own arm and draped it over his shoulder, resting my hand lightly on the collar of the back of his shirt. There was no room for space between us now, pressed gently against one another as I began leading, swaying back and forth to the music playing from the speaker.

"See? Easy?" I heard myself say, peering up at him. The song on the radio suddenly changed and I smiled, recognizing the familiar melody. Elvin Bishop...my mom had loved his music. Fooled Around And Fell In Love had been a staple of my childhood, and now here I was...slow dancing to one of my favorite songs in a bunker with a very handsome angel. "I love this song."

"This is how you dance?" Cas asked, wearing that adorable, squinty expression he often wore during moments of confusion. Which were less often than they once had been.

I let out a laugh. "Well, yeah. Sometimes you can fancy it up, though. Like this." I stepped back away from him and held up our hands so I could spin like a ballerina before stumbling back into him.

He smiled and let out a soft hum underneath his breath, looking at me in something like wonder. I felt my cheeks flush again, and in an attempt to hide my face, pressed my cheek into his shoulder. Castiel's hand slid around to my lower back, his palm spreading as he pulled me closer. I inhaled sharply in surprise as I felt the bottom of his chin on the top of my head. I closed my eyes, enjoying his closeness more than what was good for me. He smelled like cologne, a sweet, musky sort of scent that I would have recognized anywhere. I hummed along with the song playing, ignoring the fact that the lyrics seemed to be taunting me. The way that I felt was hardly intentional, but it had happened all the same and I was completely helpless to resist it. To resist him. In the end, it was going to ruin me. We were from two very different worlds and it hardly seemed a real possibility that Cas could ever...that he might...

"This is nice." He suddenly said, both interrupting my thoughts and taking me by surprise.

"Yeah." I answered breathlessly, worried saying anything else would be saying too much.

"What were you thinking about? I can always tell when your thinking too hard." Cas mumbled against the top of my head.

There was an ache in my chest as I gave him a half-hearted shrug in response. "Nothing...just enjoying teaching an angel how to dance." I teased weakly.

"Ryleigh..."

I felt him pulling back just slightly and I turned my head to look at him. I hadn't been expecting him to still be so close to me, but I felt the bridge of his nose brush gently across my cheek, his breath warm against my skin. My heart catapulted into my chest. My eyes flickered upwards, my gaze drifting across his perfect lips before finding his eyes. What I saw in them created hundreds of butterflies in my stomach. Wonder, longing, unsureness yet a complete and total awareness of what was happening as his eyes dropped to my own lips.

"Cas?" His name came out like a whisper.

He untangled his hand from mine, and placed his palm against my cheek. "You are truly extraordinary."

My mouth fell open in surprise and I fumbled for words. "I..um...what?"

"You. You are a kind all your own." He went on, shaking his head. "It's unexplainable to me, the way you're always in my thoughts.

"I-I know. I feel that way also. But not about me, of course. You. I mean I know what you're saying." I was struggling. God, how could a celestial being old enough to remember the beginning of time be better at this than I was? How? But better at what exactly? I was still reeling, trying to figure out what was happening between us.

His eyes seemed to suddenly light up as I slid both arms around his neck. I hadn't realized it until now, but we'd stopped dancing. Instead, we just stood there, looking at each other. I wasn't sure who moved first, but we were suddenly leaning into each other. I tangled my fingers in his hair, standing up on my tippy toes. The anticipation, the utter electricity being passed between us, was almost as good as the moment our lips met for the first time. His mouth brushed against mine tentatively, with an unsureness that made my heart almost burst with how much I adored him.

Guiding him, the same way I had with our first dance, I showed him how to move his lips. Although perhaps kissing was just instinct as he seemed to quickly pick up on what to do, his hands cupping my face gently before sliding over my shoulders and down to my lower back. I felt breathless after only seconds, the effect he had on me making me feel dizzy. His stubble brushed against my chin as he pressed his mouth against mine harder, fingers slipping underneath the back of my shirt and causing me to gasp.

This seemed to catch him off guard and he abruptly stopped, looking back at me with alarm. I laughed despite myself, face flushed. "That means keep doing what you're doing." I teased him and the most perfect, adoring smile suddenly appeared on his lips. He moved to lean in again when everything was interrupted by the shrill ringing of a cell phone. "Yours or mine?" I asked, pressing my lips to his chin.

"Yours." He answered gruffly, reaching behind him for the cell phone on the table before handing it to me.

I reluctantly pulled away and glanced at the screen. I pressed the phone to my ear. "Sam? Everything okay?"

"Uh..yeah. Everything okay with you? You sound out of breath." Came the youngest Winchester's voice.

"Everything's fine. I was just...I was dancing."

"Dancing? What kind of dancing because I know this is your dream, you and Cas alone-"

"Shut up, Sam, or I'll kill you." I interrupted him quickly, although I could tell by the tiny smile on Cas's lips that he had heard. I pressed my hand over my face. "What do you need?"

"I need to know if you've find out anything. About the case?" He asked, sounding amused.

I groaned. "We're still working on it."

"On the research, or each other?"

"I'll call you when we find something. Goodbye, Samuel." I said loudly before ending the call and tossing the phone onto the table. I dropped my hand back to my side and looked back at Cas. His hair was slightly disheveled, his tie hanging loosely around his neck. God, I loved that tie. "Research beckons."

He nodded slowly, disappointment flickering over his face for a moment. "Perhaps we'll need to take another break at some point then."

And the sudden, unexpected mischievousness in his eyes made me a little weak in the knees. It made me bold enough to reach out for the end of his tie and gently tug him closer to me. "That, is an excellent idea."

Then, I kissed him one more time.


	3. Crumbs- Percival Graves (Part 1)

Pairings: Percival Graves/OC

Warnings: None, unless you need a warning that Percival will slay your soul with his perfection.

Request: "SOMEDAY KILLED ME. I'm typing from the grave ... to request more Percival, because I can't deal. Maybe something with 50/102? (I'm weak for danger-dodging kisses.)"

50\. In order to avoid a dangerous situation, both characters are forced to stay hidden in a small, enclosed space.

102\. "Kiss me, quick!"

A/N: AH what is wrong with me? Why am I such a jabber jaw? I literally can't write anything short to save my life so consider this the first part of a two part series. Hopefully I'll have the next one done tomorrow. Once again, I've made up some characters and something for the sake of the plot but hope you don't mind. Eek!

* * *

The sound of tiny, flapping wings was incessant. I narrowed my eyes, rolling up the sleeves of my cardigan, because now I meant business. The paper currently fluttering over my head, which had been intricately folded into the shape of a bird, didn't seem at all phased by this. I had already decided to jinx whoever had thought it was a great idea to send me a memo and then charm it to act like an utter idiot when I tried to coax it down from the ceiling. It had to be a joke. I was sure that when I finally got my hands on the paper and opened it up, there would be a big 'HA' written in bold, dark letters. It would take some investigating to figure out just who the culprit what. It was a good thing that was what I did for a living.

"Alright, you stubborn piece of crap." I muttered, brandishing my wand toward it. "Accio memo!"

"Once again, nothing. I threw down the wand and placed my hands on my hips, an exasperated sigh escaping me. Apparently it had some type of magic protection spell on it too. My tapped impatiently against the floor a few times before I finally resigned myself to handling my predicament the no-man way. I pulled out the rickety wooden chair that sat behind my desk and carefully stepped onto it. Even with the added height, I was still a touch too short to reach the paper bird. Standing on my tippy toes, I reached a hand skyward. The tips of my fingers just managed to brush a paper wing when the chair began to wobble beneath me.

"Oh, crumbs." I gasped. My arms shot out as I lost my balance, frantically trying to right myself before it was too late. It was no use, though, and I suddenly found myself falling off my chair and heading straight for the very hard, solid ground. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced for the inevitable impact. Only it never came.

My pulse, which had taken off like a galloping horse, began to slow as I realized I wasn't going to face plant onto the floor of my office. Instead, I was surprisingly suspended in mid-air, just hovering inches above the shiny hardwood floor. I glanced up in confusion, searching the room until I spotted a familiar figure standing in the one doorway.

A groan escaped me. "Of course it would be you, wouldn't it?"

Percival Graves stepped into the room, one in the pocket of his trousers and the other casually pointing his wand in my direction. "I think a thank you is in order, or would you rather I just let you fall?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow.

He looked every bit the polished, unfairly handsome man I knew him to be. His dark hair was swept back away from his forehead, revealing the bits of gray forming at his temples. The skin of his jaw was smooth and clean shaves, and he looked more suited to the pages of Witch's Weekly than the Magical Congress. Something I had teased him about on more than one occasion. I was one of few who could get away with it.

I made a face, summoning an apology from somewhere deep within me. "Thank you."

Satisfied, Graves flicked his wand and I was gently set back on my feet. As soon as I was standing, I cleared my throat and smoothed the front of my sweater, pretending as if what he had walked in on was a normal occurrence. Although I was certain he was used to it. I had a bit of a reputation as someone who was constantly finding themselves in the most bizarre circumstances. Always by accident. Well…almost always.

My relationship with the director of Magical Security had always been a bit of an unusual one. From the moment I'd been introduced to the tall, sharply dressed man, I was floored by his intellect. His brilliance was astounding, and often left me feeling like the rest of us would forever be standing in his shadows. I, on the other hand, was known for my more unorthodox methods and a quirky personality that sometimes got me into trouble.

We were like day and night, yet somehow, he'd always believed in me more than anyone else. He'd been the one to give me my first chance in the field, years ago now. Ever since, I was always the first auror he came to when he needed back-up. Especially recently. While there weren't many things Graves and I explicitly agreed on, there was one major one: finding Gellert Grindelwald.

"Should I even ask what you were trying to accomplish?" He asked with mild interest, lips twitching. In a few long strides, he had entered the room and was standing opposite my desk. A desk that was currently covered in papers, jars of ink, quills, newspapers, and file folders amongst other items. I wasn't known as the tidiest auror. I suddenly wished I had thought to clean up a little, but then berated myself for even thinking that. There was no need to try and impress Graves. Though if he even noticed the mess, he didn't say or do anything to acknowledge it.

I sighed and pointed up at the ceiling. "That thing. Can't get the damn thing to cmd down."

Graves eyed the flying memo, a glint of amusement appearing in his eyes before he lifted his wand and gave it a lazy wave. The paper bird plummeted from the sky and landed on my desk.

I stared at him, stunned. "How in the heck did you do that?"

He shrugged his shoulders, storing his wand away inside his jacket before sliding both hands into his pockets. "Remind me to teach you later. Right now, I need to borrow you for something a little more important."  
His eyes sparked with conviction, and I was drawn toward him, eagerly drinking in his words. It wasn't often he showed this kind of excitement, but I always knew it meant something interesting was to follow. "What is it?"

"My informant came through." He announced, a triumphant smile pulling at his lips. "He knows where Jack Breaker is going to be. Tonight."

"Tonight." i repeated in a daze, my heart leaping with sudden anticipation. My finger were already itching to grab my wand and rush out into the city.

We had been searching for Grindelwald's closest ally for months now. Jack Breaker, known more commonly as 'Jailbreak Jack' for his uncanny ability to slip away at the drop of a hat, was Grindelwald's righthand man. He was the next best thing to the man himself.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" I exclaimed, jumping to grab my coat. I was pulling my arms through the sleeves, already halfway toward the door, when Graves gently grabbed onto my sleeve and tugged me to a stop.

"Slow down, Rush. You know the rules. Madame President needs to be briefed before you and I go anywhere." He said pointedly. Rush was a nickname he'd adopted for me after realizing I was always in a hurry. I'd argued that wasn't true, but when everyone in the office also started calling me that, I'd reluctantly had to settle on the fact that they all had a point.

I stopped in my tracks and looked at him with raised eyebrows. He looked back at me expectantly and my shoulders sagged in defeat. "Alright, alright. Fine. First the briefing, then the bad guy catching. Come on, Percy."

I got entirely too much enjoyment out of watching him cringe. "How many time do I need to tell you I hate it when you call me that?"

"Why? Are you keeping count?" I asked as I brushed past him on my way out the door.

He didn't answer, but I heard him heave a familiar, audible sigh followed by the sound of his footsteps trailing after me. The enchanted paper memo was already a thing of the past as I turned my thoughts instead to Jack Breaker and the quiet wizard currently trailing behind me. Despite our many differences, we meshed incredibly well. That, and the job always got done. Maybe there truly was something to be said about opposites attracting. For work related reasons only, of course, I reminded myself. I didn't have time for anything different.

* * *

The sun had just set, casting the rest of the world in a myriad of shadows, as Graves and I appeared out of thin air in an alley outside of Brooklyn. The impatience I'd felt while pacing the lavish office of Madame President dulled only a little as a breathed in the cool night air and braced myself for what the night could possible have in store for us.

Graves' informant, an older gnarled looking wizard who sometimes showed up in the congress building in order to divulge certain secrets, had entrusted with Graves that Breaker and some of his crew had been frequenting a run-down bar in Brooklyn. They'd apparently been trying to gather new recruits, which was the very last thing we either needed or wanted.

The alley we'd appareled into led to a dead end on one side, the opposite end opening up into the street. It was a quiet night, most folks already settled at home for the evening. Graves pulled his wand from his jacket and waved it over his clothing with a simple flick of his wrist. His current clothing was fluidly replaced by a gray, pinstriped vest over top a white shirt and a pair of gray slacks. It was a much more casual look than the tailored, pristine suit he'd been wearing before. I wondered for a moment if I should do the same. We were trying to fit in with a group of rough and toughs. I hesitated before waving my own wand and traded in my simple pants and blouse for a knee-length lilac patterned dress and matching shawl.

I ran my fingers through my hair, pausing when I glanced over to find Graves watching me, his brown eyes raking over me in a way that made me feel suddenly very self-conscious. "What?" I asked.

He simply shook his head. "Nothing. I've just never seen you in a dress before…you look lovely."

The words caught my off guard, and a split-second had passed before I realized he had gestured for me to follow him from the alley and I had yet to move. A 'thank you' was stuck to the roof of my mouth, but didn't seem to want to come out. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why I was so stuck on the fact that Graves had paid me a compliment. Clearly, he hadn't thought twice about it as he calmly strolled down the sidewalk next to me.

We walked in silence, my stomach begin to twist into knots as we grew closer and closer to our destination. Graves slowed to a stop outside what I knew must've been our stop. It looked like it had once been a nice, swanky hotel, though now it looked as if it'd seen better days. Ivy snaked up the walls, broken and boarded windows covered the front of the windows, including the glass doorway.

I was still taking it all in when Graves stepped in front of me, blocking my view. I had to crane my neck to look up at his full height. I jutted out my chin, trying to make myself look taller than I was. We both knew I wasn't fooling anyone.

"What we are about to do is dangerous. We're stepping into a room full of criminals and potentially some dark, violent wizards." He began, eyes boring into mine, speaking slowly as if he needed me to grasp and hold on tightly to each and every word. "Which means I need you to listen and do everything I say. Without argument, Rush. Rashness is only going to get us into trouble, and that's the lat thing I want. Understood?"

I pursed my lips and fought the urge to argue for the sake of arguing. I knew how important our mission was. I had always been a 'do now, think later' type. Not Percival, though. I nodded. "Understood."

"Good." He said, accepting my response before offering his arm to me. "Shall we?"

I looped my arm through his and together, we walked down a nearby alley that led to the side entrance of the building. Graves pulled open the heavy metal door for me and I slipped inside. I was met immediately with the scent of tobacco smoke, traces of it curling in the air and creating a gray haze. The room was packet with people, mostly men although I saw a handful of women scattered here and there. I was maybe one of five, which is what most likely caught the attention of a few of the patrons sitting on their splintering stools at the bar. One of them wolf whistled as we walked past and I was surprised when I felt Graves hand protectively on the small of my back, guiding me toward an empty spot at the far end of the bar. I slid onto a stool as Graves leaned back against it. He was already scoping the room, vigilant and alert as always.

"What'll it be?" A deep, gravely voice asked. I glanced up to see the bartender leaning toward us, a heavyset man with a thick, red mustache and a wide forehead.

I opened my mouth to answer, but Graves beat me to it. "Two fire whiskeys." He said, pushing some coins across the counter.

I raised my eyebrows, a smirk ghosting across my lips. "Drinking on the job, eh?" I joked, speaking softly, though the music and conversation was loud enough to mask any words exchanged between us.

He turned to face me, running a hand through his hair before a knowing half smile appeared on his lips. "This is a bar, isn't it? Seems suspicious to not come to a bar and order a drink."

"Touche." After all, the last thing we wanted was to draw any unwanted attention. Although it seemed we already were. I got the feeling this was the type of place where new faces were far and few between.

My eyes traveled the room, taking in each patron one by one. A table of burly, wide-shouldered men in the corner were all seated around a game of wizard's chess, piles of coins teetering on the board. One of them let out a triumphant yell and pulled all the coins toward himself before another slammed a fist on the table and got up to leave.

Next to them, two men had their heads bowed together in hushed conversation, and at a small table in the corner was a balding man in a purple scarf dead asleep with his mouth hanging open. I was looking for Breaker, trying to pick out his untidy dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Though he could have easily been in disguise. I was hoping he hadn't thought it necessary. No one was supposed to know we were on his tail after all.

"There 'ya are! Enjoy!" The bartender said from behind me as two small glasses clanked down on the counter.

"Thank you!" I called over my shoulder before leaning toward Graves. "Anything yet?"

He shook his head, eyes on the two men in hushed conversation. "Nothing, but I'm sure we'll know when he arrives. The man likes to make an entrance."

I opened my mouth to respond but suddenly felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I knew that feeling well enough by now. I'd trained myself to recognize it. Quickly, I combed the room, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. It only took a few moment for me to find the pair of eyes that was staring unblinkingly in our direction. It was a blonde man I hadn't noticed before, seated directly across from us at a square table. He had his feet propped up on another chair, the soles of his boots covered in dirt. And he was staring at Graves and I like we were a puzzle he was trying to solve.

"Don't look now, but there's a man sitting on the other side of the room that won't stop staring." I whispered to Graves, angling my body on the stool to face him. I racked my brain trying to place the stranger's face, thinking maybe he was someone we had arrested in the past. That was the most likely scenario.

"What's he look like?" Graves asked carefully.

I didn't answer right away, giving a second glance just in time to see the man reaching into his pocket, rising slowly from his chair. My stomach dropped. We needed to give him a reason to look away fast, before he really did recognize us. I turned back to Graves and said the first words that popped into my mind. "Kiss me, quick!"

He furrowed his eyebrows in obvious confusion. "Excuse me?"

I let out an aggravated sigh and repeated myself. "Kiss me. He won't want to stare at us if we're doing that."

Graves eyes raked my face, as if checking to see if I was serious. Even I was surprised at how serious I was, though there was a part of my brain screaming at me that this was not a wise plan of action. In fact, there were probably a hundred different distraction methods in my arsenal. So why had I chosen this one? I had never before thought about kissing Graves…at least I didn't think so. I knew plenty of other women at the congress had, but I tried to stay out—

My train of thought completely jumped the tracks as I felt his hand on the back of my head, pulling me closer. Then, his lips were on mine and my eyes fluttered shut on instinct. His lips were softer than I expected, but had a taste to them that was somehow sweet and salty at the same time. And it wasn't nearly as unpleasant as I wanted it to be. Far from it. He smelled amazing too…like parchment and peppermint. There was a moment of hesitation, as I wondered what the heck to do with my hands, but then Graves' fingers were sliding through my hair, his other hand moving to rest on my knee and I forgot to care about right and wrong as my toes curled in my shoes.

I gripped his waist in my hands, feeling the muscles of his torso beneath his shirt. I sat up straighter on my stool, like he had just called my entire being to attention. His fingers found their way to the nape of m neck, gently cupping his hand there and a wave of shock rolled over me as I felt his tongue gliding teasingly across my lower lip. That should've been it, my cue to pull away. Instead, I parted my lips and let him deepen the kiss. Even though I knew it was wrong. So so wrong. He must've known it too, yet it was like neither one of us could stop. The kiss was too soft, too tantalizing, too damn addicting.

What was I doing?

My brain was in a fog as he slowly pulled away, breaths mingling for a moment before he straightened up. It couldn't have lasted more than a second, but it felt like a lifetime inside my head. When I opened my eyes, he was looking at me with a curious intensity, like I was something unexpected. I noticed then that my heart was full on sprinting in my chest. I cleared my throat and leaned away from him, cheeks burning.

Graves was the first to speak. "It worked."

I'd almost forgotten about the man at the table, the one who had been staring and was the reason I'd even demanded the kiss in the first place. "Huh?" My gaze flickered over the room to see the man had settled back down in his seat, head ducked as if ashamed he'd been caught.

Yet he was no longer what was dominating my mind. "Crumbs." I whispered. I whirled around behind me and grabbed the shot glass of fire whiskey and held it to my lips, letting the liquid burn its way down the back of my throat. Like somehow that would help me. Graves was still watching me curiously as I sputtered into a coughing fit. Why couldn't I keep it together now? I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "I'm going to…to go check things out."

Distance. I needed distance. To get away from that perfect mouth, and those perfect hands, and….oh, crumbs, there was something so very wrong with me.

His hand shot out, fingers encircling my wrist as he pulled me to a stop. For the first time since we'd kissed, I was forced to look him in the eyes. "Just…be careful. Don't do anything stupid." He said, repeating what he'd told me outside the bar. The words somehow softer this time, though. I nodded, the fire whiskey still burning a fire in the back of my throat.

I walked across the room, eyes casually combing the other patrons as I tried to refocus on the job. I knew exactly what I was looking for…if not Breaker, than the next best thing. Grindelwald's calling card, a strange symbol I'd seen dozens and dozens of times…a triangle with a circle inside, and one line dividing the circle into two halves. His followers seem to wear it as a badge of honor, on chains around their necks or sometimes even tattooed into their skin.

At least it gave me something to think about. My heartbeat was still trying to slow as my brain tried to find a way to deal with the new ache that had followed Graves' kiss. A voice in my head taunted me…I'd liked it too much. I turned and looked over my shoulder and our eyes met across the room. His gaze burned into me, making me feel warm underneath the dim, smoky lights.

A loud bang reverberated off the walls, making me jump. I spun on my heel just in time to see the door to the bar swing open, smacking hard against the wall. My blood ran cold as in walked the very person we'd been searching for…Jack Breaker.

His dark hair was a mess, sticking up in every direction as if he'd been combing his fingers through it over and over again. What caught my eye, though, were his eyes. Electric with anticipation and fury. The room fell silent as he entered, all faces turned toward him.

"A little bird told me there'll be some aurors here tonight, snooping around. First one to find 'em will be greatly rewarded for their efforts….Grindelwald promises." The sallow faced man sneered.

I felt frozen in place, horror washing over me. I pulled my eyes away from Breaker to look at Graves from across the room. His eyes wide, mouth set into a thin, straight line.

Now we were in trouble.


	4. Someday- Percival Graves

Pairing: Percival Graves/OC

Request: "anonymous asked:

prompt: how about reader taking care of graves after a serious auror fight? no smut pls"

Warnings: None...just some fluff and good ol' fashioned angst! xD

A/N: Ugh I really, really loved writing this one. I hope I managed to capture his character alright...it'll get easier the more i do it. Just a side-note, I did make some things up for this just for the sake of the story. I have no idea how the laws work in the American wizarding world, but I made up some for the sake of the story, as well as some other slight magical elements that I wasn't exactly sure of. Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

I swayed slightly on my feet, bracing my hand against the nearest wall. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, waiting for the room to stop its tilting and the ground beneath my feet to steady. Apparating after a fight was always rough, as the adrenaline was slowly squeezed out of my bones and exhaustion seeped in to take its place.

"You alright?" a familiar voice asked.

My eyes fluttered open to see Dortman, a fellow auror, watching me with a scrutinizing expression. He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, a sheen of sweat coating his forehead. He looked just as weary as I felt, like my limbs were weighed down with lead. Though perhaps that was what happened after fighting a losing battle. We hadn't lost one in a while.

Which just reminded me that Grindelwald and his followers were becoming more and more dangerous by the second.

"Fine, just felt a bit woozy for a minute." I assured him. I sucked in a deep breath and pushed myself off the wall. I realized I was still clutching my wand in my opposite hand, my knuckles white. I pocketed it, now that were safe and sound back in New York. Which I was also incredibly thankful for. Whoever had suggested lifting the apparition block in case we needed a quick getaway was now my hero.

I looked around the congress building to see it wasn't just me who looked and felt like I'd taken a beating. I had always known that becoming an auror would mean fighting sometimes. It would mean battling my own kind, and facing them head on in an attempt to protect others. That didn't mean I had to like it, though. There was just something about hitting another wizard or witch with a spell that always got to me. Then again, I would have felt the same if it was a no-maj. Maybe that made me weak. I thought it made me human. Though I knew there was one person in the room who might disagree.

I looked around for the familiar head of dark hair, and the piercing eyes. "Where's Graves?"

Dortman shrugged, shaking his head. "Not sure, he took off the second we all got back. You know how he is, though."

I sighed. "Yeah, I do."

He was married to his job, no nonsense, a loner, incredibly intelligent, sometimes intimidating. Most of the time, though, he was a man who drove me completely insane. For more than one reason. I had first tried to get to know Percival Graves when I'd joined the Magical Law Enforcement branch years ago now. He'd even been the one to train me. Getting to know him had, and still was at times, like pulling teeth out of a Hungarian Horntail. Somewhere along the lines, though, my persistence had paid. Little by little, Graves had let me in. Good grief, though, because it'd taken long enough. Now, though, a part of me was sure he considered me one of his only friends.

I should have mentioned that sometimes I also thought I was in love with him.

"You're going to go try and find him anyways, aren't you?" Dorton asked, perking an eyebrow. "Hope he doesn't try to curse you."

"He wouldn't dare. Not after last time." My lips twitched, remembering how I'd tailed Graves after he was in a foul mood. I'd caught him off guard and only just managed to duck out of the way as he shattered a historical portrait that had been hanging on the wall behind me.

Dorton waved me off as I headed toward the lift at the far end of the room. Graves was a creature of habit, which meant he had retreated to his office to lick his wounds. I didn't think about whether or not he'd be happy to see me as I boarded the lift. The air grew colder as I descended down toward the lower floors and finally exited. The walls on Graves' floor were black marble, shimmering in the dull light. I padded down the hall to the beautiful, ornate wooden door and knocked once.

I rocked back on my heels as I waited. I knew better than to knock twice.

"Who is it?" He barked from the other side.

"It's me, Graves. Open up." I called back, running a hand through my hair before letting it fall back to my side. I could picture him on the opposite side of the door, debating whether or not to let me in.

A moment later, though, the handle turned and the door was pulled open. More specifically, the door opened to reveal a battle worn, exhausted looking Graves. His tie had been hurriedly undone and was draped around his neck, his white shirt unbuttoned, hanging at his sides. He look disheveled, so unlike the perfect image he maintained in his everyday life. I swallowed hard, eye level with his bare chest. I had no time to drink the rest of him in, though, as I suddenly noticed the large gash that marred his skin, snaking its way from the top of his left ribcage and all the way down to the opposite hip. The bleeding had stopped, but the skin was angry and red. I could see a bruise forming just underneath his ribs. It looked like he'd only just managed to dodge a powerful curse.

"Merlin," I breathed, tearing my eyes away to meet his gaze. He stared back with an unreadable expression, waiting. I clucked my tongue and pushed past him, wedging my way into the wide, tastefully decorated room. I shrugged off my jacket and tossed it over the polished oak desk. "You should be in the medical wing right now! Don't you have any sense of self preservation?" I demanded, turning to face him with my hands on my hips.

A part of me was expecting him to tell me to be quiet, or maybe even to roll his eyes and demand I get out and mind my own business. Instead, though, I swore I saw a flash of amusement across his face. "You know I hate that place. I don't need to be fussed over. I can handle it myself."

I narrowed my eyes a little as he strode across the room, toward a cabinet on one wall. He began rummaging around the shelves for something when he suddenly flinched, letting out a hiss of pain.

"No, you can't handle it right now. Sit, Percival." I moved toward him and gently put my hand on his arm, turning him to face me. "You're in pain...Please...let me help you." There was a slight pleading tone to my voice, but I didn't try to hide it. Maybe it would make him listen for once. The man was stubborn as all heck.

It looked like there was a storm brewing behind his dark eyes, fighting himself on whether or not he really needed the help I was offering. Well, I had already made that decision for him. I nodded my head toward the empty office chair. "Sit." I said again. "And that's an order." The last part slipped from my lips before I could stop it, and I was immediately cursing myself. To my surprise, though, Graves' lips quirked into a smirk.

"There's that bossiness. I knew it was in there somewhere." He said, and it almost sounded like he was teasing me.

I rolled my eyes. "Will you just sit already?"

We held eye contact for a long moment, and I knew it was a silent battle to see who would cave first. This time, I wouldn't let him win. He gave in after a moment, blowing out a breath through pursed lips. "Alright fine. Just this once." He warned me. "I want you to help me. I don't need it, though."

I was already shaking my head, tearing my eyes away from his perfect face, a five o'clock shadow already showing, and began digging through the supplies arranged neatly on rows inside the cabinet. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I heard the slight squeak of the chair as Graves finally sat down. I could feel his eyes lingering on my back, making my stomach tighten. I wasn't sure when exactly I had realized my feelings regarding the calculating, quiet man. It might have been during one of the rare moments I saw that other side of him emerge, the side that sometimes smiled and even laughed. I was always so proud when it was because of me. Or it could have been during our many long talks during late nights at work, lingering inside the conference room as he astounded me with his intelligence, his unmatched sense of observation.

Sometimes, when he wasn't prowling his office trying to come up with a way to outthink Grindelwald, and we had quiet moments alone, I thought he might care about me the way I cared about him. Those moments were quick and fleeting, though, leaving me with more questions than answers. Besides, we both knew the law. Aurors weren't supposed to become romantically involved with other aurors. It was an old rule, one that had existed for centuries. While I was certain many had broken it, Graves was a rules follower. Always had been.

I found the cleansing potion I was looking for and gingerly grabbed the tiny emerald green bottle and a cloth in my hand before turning back around. I had been right, he was still carefully studying me from his seat, long legs stretched out in front of him and one hand cupping his chin. He raised his eyebrows expectantly and I managed to unstick my feet from the floor and cross the room.

Tugging my wand from my pocket, I magicked a stool next to him and sat on it, scooting myself closer. I uncorked the potion and was immediately hit with a strong, bitter scent I couldn't quite place. My pulse suddenly seemed to speed up as I dabbed some potion onto the cloth and leaned forward to begin rubbing away the dried blood, grime, or traces of magic that still clung to the wound.

"You called me Percival." He suddenly murmured.

I faltered for a moment, but didn't dare look up to see the expression on his face. I continued to gently rub the potion across his torso, trying not to get too distracted.

"That's your name, isn't it?"

He let out a low chuckle that made my stomach dip. I loved that sound and got to hear it so rarely. "How long have we known one another? And I think that's only the second time you've ever used my first name."

"Most people call you Graves, so I suppose I always figured I should too." I shrugged, holding the cloth to the bottle for more potion.

"You're not most people." Graves said in a soft, matter-of-fact tone that left no room for argument.

My eyed widened in surprise as I resumed cleaning his wound. "I'm not?" I asked, trying to sound casual while inside I was rattling.

"You believe I just let anyone into my office, let them nurse me back to health?" He asked, and I lifted my eyes to see his eyebrows raise in question. There was the ghost of a small smile on his lips.

I felt my face grow warm and ducked my head again. "No one else would...you intimidate them, you know." I didn't add that sometimes, despite the fact that I was enamored with him, he intimidated me too.

"But not you?"

I hesitated for a moment before answering his question. "Not right now, no. All I see is a man who needs help, but is too stubborn for his own good sometimes." I allowed a gentle teasing tone to enter my voice and he let out a hum in response, but didn't disagree.

Cloth in hand, I followed the cut's trail down past his navel, trying to ignore the way his hipbones and the taught muscles beneath his skin taunted me. He suddenly flinched and I snatched my hand away, eyes landing on his face. The surefire flicker of the pain he had felt vanished almost as suddenly as it had appeared.

"I'm so sorry, if you want I can do a numbing spell. Although I'm about finished." I said hurriedly but he was already shaking his head.

"No, no. I'm fine." He grumbled. I didn't fail to notice that his grip on the chair's armrests had tightened.

I traded the potion and cloth for my wand, carefully pointing the tip toward his abdomen. The words came to me easily, without thinking, and I muttered them under my breath. Immediately the end of my wand began to glow softly, tendrils of blue magic twirling into the air and dancing across his skin. In less than a moment, the gash had sealed itself, leaving his body unblemished.

Without thinking, I leaned forward and tentatively touched his skin. My fingers seemed to suddenly have a mind of their own, tracing the invisible line where his wound had been moments before. His skin was smooth, warm beneath my fingers, and it was like the cut had never been there at all. It hit me like a ton of bricks what I was doing then, touching Graves in a way that was just a tad bit beyond the forced professionalism we so often used with one another. Yet how many times had I imagined a moment like this? What it would be like to be this near to him? Foolish fantasies of a naive girl.

I cleared my throat and began to pull my hand away. "Good as new, see?"

Quicker than even I was, though, Graves reached for me and snatched my hand, preventing me from pulling it away completely. Our eyes locked and I stared at him in surprise. My heart was beating a new rhythm against my ribcage, one that was entirely too fast. His dark eyes, a gorgeous coffee brown color, looked both troubled and curious. I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice, to say anything but the words wouldn't come. It was like time had suddenly stopped as we sat there looking at one another, his fingers brushing across my knuckles.

He licked his lips and opened his mouth carefully, as if to speak, but then shut it again. I was sitting on the edge of my seat, anticipating whatever was to happen next. Finally, he let out a sigh, covering my hand between both of his own much larger ones.

"Do you know how incredibly difficult it is," he began in a low voice, "to watch you be in danger? I'm more aware of you than I am myself sometimes. Seeing you out there during that fight, and not being able to protect you the way that I'd like to...it frustrates me." He said this last part as if they were feelings he was still trying to understand, but ones that both fascinated and irritated him.

I stared at him, wordlessly. I wondered if perhaps I'd forgotten how to speak altogether. There was such a monumental difference between lingering stares, and carefully brushing against one another as we passed in the hallway or stood next to each other in a room full of people. I'd never expected, not in a million years, to hear him actually voice the very feelings I'd been wondering about.

He didn't seem to mind that I hadn't yet said anything, and continued on. "I'm not a foolish man, I don't give into temptation. Yet I find it more and more impossible each day to resist you...how in the world do you do that? How do you make me feel this way?" His eyes implored me and I hadn't noticed before, but he'd inadvertently leaned closer, the distance between us vanishing little by little.

"Gra-Percival, I...I care about you. I know I shouldn't. I know how dangerous that is, but I can't help it You...you make me feel...," I let the words fade away, though the implication lingered. "We can't." I added after a pause. "The law."

"I know," he murmured. "Trust me, I've thought of nothing else aside from you for many nights now."

Each time his thumb brushed against my skin, it sent pleasant tingle throughout my entire body. And for heaven's sake, he was barely holding my hand. I couldn't remember ever wanting to kiss someone so badly in my entire life.

We both spoke of the law, we were both aware of it, yet we were still sitting merely inches from one another and had yet to move away. Not to mention he had yet to fix his shirt which was another distraction. Suddenly, he lifted my hand and his lips ghosted across my skin, his eyes never leaving mine. My breath hiccuped, leaving me in a barely audible gasp. It wasn't even funny how in control of me he was in that moment.

Just then, at the most inopportune time, there was the rustle of paper outside the office and we both turned at the same time to see a slip of yellow parchment sliding its way beneath the door. It then floated across the room where Graves snatched it out of mid-air. He released my hand and I reluctantly pulled it back into my lap, trying to maintain my composure as he unfolded the note and skimmed it.

"Madame President needs to see me." He murmured.

I nodded. "Of course."

I abruptly stood up from my stool and stepped back away from the desk. Graves stood up then, closing up his shirt as he moved. I watched his nimble fingers slide across the buttons before once again acting without thinking and stepping forward to finish the job. I was surprised when he let me, his hands falling to his sides as I finished the final button and moved onto retying his tie, slowing looping one end over the other until it created a perfect knot. I smoothed it out, admiring my handiwork, and trying to figure out what the heck made dressing someone feel so wonderfully intimate with hardly any touching involved. I supposed it had a lot to do with Graves, and the way he made me feel in general. He exuded so much power and confidence...it made my stomach feel like fluttering away.

Both his hands moved to cradle my face, gently tilting my head until I was looking up at him. His eyes flickered to my lips and my entire body seemed to zing at the mere look.

"Percival," I said softly, a warning note to my voice.

"I know," he repeated. And still he leaned forward and brushed his lips to mine. I wanted to melt into him right then and there, resting my hands against his chest and breathing in the sweet smell of his cologne and lingering scents of battle and healing potion. The kiss was brief, barely more than the gentle caress of his mouth against mine before he pulled away. Neither of us said anything, but we didn't have to, our eyes speaking enough for both of us of secret longing and untapped desires.

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and stepped away from me then, gesturing for me to move toward the door. I felt almost like I was in a dream as we walked side by side down the hallway together and back to the lift. We didn't speak the entire way, and it wasn't until we were almost to the main floor when he wrapped his arm around my waist and leaned in, softly kissing my forehead.

"Someday," he said softly.

And then that was all. The lift doors opened and I was left standing in the empty room, the feeling of his lips lingering against my skin as I watched a man I loved, but most likely would never have, walk away from me. The doors shut but I didn't press the buttons right away. Instead, I sagged back against the wall and tried to regain my composure, reeling from everything that had just happened.

Someday.

The word echoed over and over in my head as I wondered if there really was such a thing for us.


	5. Crumbs- Percival Graves (Part 2)

Pairings: Percival Graves/OC

Warnings: None, unless you need a warning that Percival will slay your soul with his perfection.

Request: "SOMEDAY KILLED ME. I'm typing from the grave … to request more Percival, because I can't deal. Maybe something with 50/102? (I'm weak for danger-dodging kisses.)"

50\. In order to avoid a dangerous situation, both characters are forced to stay hidden in a small, enclosed space.

102\. "Kiss me, quick!"

A/N: Hope this turned out okay! Thanks again for the request! :)

* * *

Chaos erupted.

Chair legs screeched against the wooden floor as customers abandoned their tables, goblets and pint glasses crashing to the ground. It was a mad dash for the door, although I noticed right away, not everyone was leaving. More than a dozen stayed behind, eyes filled with determination and greed in response to Breaker's proposition. I caught Graves' eye across the room once again and he held up a hand, telling me to stay right where I was. I was wondering why we wouldn't just apparate back to congress when it hit me. Everyone had made for the door for a reason…Breaker must have found a way to block apparating. My stomach dropped. Now we were in even worse trouble.

I looked back at Breaker where he stood in the middle of the throng, his eyes searching. A sea of people parted around him, though he seemed unfazed by all the pushing and shoving. I didn't want to take my eyes off him, but noticed from the corner of my vision that Graves had slipped away from his place at the bar. My fingers moved for my wand, gripping it tightly. As hard as we were trying to go unnoticed, I had a feeling it wouldn't last. There was going to be a fight.

* * *

The thought had barely left my mind when a voice suddenly hollered above the thin, "There's one right there! She don't belong here!"

I whirled toward the yell and saw it was the man with the purple scarf who had been dead asleep moments before. How in the world had he figured it out…I had no time to think about it, though, as a streak of red sparks came hurtling toward me. I ducked to the floor, crouching behind one of the overturned tables. Where the hell was Graves?

I poked my head above my hideout, holding my wand. "Stupefy!" I watched as the spell narrowly missed Breaker and hit a man standing at his side square in the chest. I dropped to the ground again as a pint glass on a table nearby exploded.

"Might as well surrender, girlie! You're out numbered!" Breaker yelled out in a sing-song voice.

"Not a chance in hell!" I called back.

There was suddenly a lot of commotion from the other side of my barricade, the crackling of spells and jumble of shouting voices reaching my ears. I peeked over and my eyes widened to see Graves fighting his way toward me, easily holding off at least four of the men on his own. Another handful began whipping spells and I set my jaw, turning my attention toward them to give Graves a chance. Finally, he was nimbly leaping over the toppled table and setting down next to me.

"You okay?" He asked, eyes brushing over my face.

I nodded. "Fine, now how the hell do we get out of here?"

The door was blocked and there were no other exits as far as I could tell…just a solid brick wall behind us. Graves was looking around with a slight frown and I let out an 'oof' as a particularly powerful spell collided with the table and rammed it into my shoulder.

"We make our own exit." Graves said matter-of-factly, crouching low to the floor. He turned toward the thick wall behind us and whirled his wand. Instantly, a section of the wall crumbled and collapsed to the ground, leaving us in a cloud of dust.

"How did you do that?" I asked in awe as he gripped me by the forearm and began towing me through the wall.

"Remind me to teach you later!"

We stumbled out into another alley, facing yet another wall. I could hear footsteps behind us and pointed my wand at one of the many windows. "Finestra!"

It exploded, raining a hail of glass that immediately turned to dust as it hit us, leaving both of us unharmed. I clambered over the sill, feeling Graves right behind me. I dropped down onto the other side, now in a long, empty hallway. The stench of mildew filling my nostrils and I thanked my lucky stars. It looked like another abandoned building, maybe once an apartment building. The last thing we needed was for a bunch of no-majes to see us.

To my right was a steep, narrow staircase and I lunged toward it, taking the steps two at a time. I led us up three floors before bursting onto a landing. The hall was almost identical to the first one, lined with wooden doors peeling with paint. At the far end of the hall, I could see a window with a rusting fire escape on the other side. A lightbulb went on my head. I pivoted around, eyes bright with adrenaline.

"I have an idea!" I announced.

Graves was busy locking the stairway door behind us but looked over his shoulder toward me. A few pieces of his dark hair fell in front of his eyes, a coating of dust on his skin and clothing. "Whatever it is, do it!"

Teeth gritted in determination, I sprinted toward the end of the hall. I whipped a spell toward the window, shattering it as I had the one on the first floor. Instead of going through it, though, I faced the closest door and pointed my wand at the handle. "Alohomora!"

"A decoy?" He asked.

I nodded furiously as footsteps pounded up the staircase. "Yes! Come on!" Pulling open the unlocked door, I stepped inside. Graves followed, shutting it behind us and muttering a locking spell.

I had stopped short, though, suddenly enveloped in pitch blackness. Oh no…this was not part of the plan. I'd automatically assumed there'd be an apartment behind the door, with another window we could sneak out of. Instead, I'd led us right into a closet. "No, no no no…" I muttered desperately, throwing out my hands and feeling the smoothness of a wall in front of me. "We need to get out!"

"It's too late! Just stay still and don't make a sound."

"We're in a closet, Graves! There's no way out!" I said in a strangled voice. My eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness, but it felt like the walls were closing in one me as I thought about how trapped we were. "We have to—"

I didn't get to finish my sentence, though, as he suddenly spun me around and pulled my back against his chest, one of hands gently covering my mouth. There was the sound of a loud explosion as what I assumed was the stairway door exploded. Trampling feet followed. My heart was hammering in my chest, though from nerves or Graves' closeness I wasn't sure. His hand moved from my mouth, and I felt his warm breath tickling my ear. "It'll be alright, Rush."

I didn't response, listening as voices echoed off the walls outside our hiding spot. I was waiting for them to start blowing each door off its hinges, leaving us exposed. I could feel Graves' chest moving slowly up and down behind me so I focused on that instead, letting the steady rhythm calm me down. Breath in, and out. In and out. I repeated the mantra over and over again though my calm shattered when I heard Breaker's voice right outside the door. My entire body stiffened in fear. Graves must have felt it too because the next thing I knew, he was wrapping both arms around my waist, holding my tight against his chest. It was more comforting than I wanted it to be.

"…down the fire escape, but probably apparated once they got far enough." A different voice was saying.

"You don't know that, you lumbering oaf. You lot, get down there and find them!" Breaker snapped.

I heard the clanking of shoes on metal as they each one by one began climbing from the window and onto the old fire escape outside. And even after the sounds had died down and we were left standing in silence, my limbs stayed frozen in place. A minute passed, maybe two. It was only then I let out a sigh of relief…and remembered Graves was still holding me. My skin flushed and I felt warm all over as I quietly untangled myself and stepped away, turning to face him.

"Are they gone?" I asked tentatively.

"Let's wait it out a few minutes, just to be sure. You're alright?" He asked, the second time that evening.

That all depended on his definition of alright. We'd only just barely outrun a group of Grindelwald's fanatics, crammed ourselves into a closet, and I was feeling almost desperate to escape back into the hall. Small spaces had never bothered me before, but Graves closeness was making it difficult for me to think straight. His presence alone seemed to take up most of the room, standing close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off his body.

When I didn't answer, the tip of his wand suddenly began to glow before a ball of light disconnected from it and hung over our heads, illuminating the room with a soft yellow glow. He towered over me and I tried not to fidget under his intense gaze.

An angry expression flashed across his face. "He sold us out…my informant."

I shook my head. "He could've gotten us killed."

"He almost did…Perhaps I should've known better than to trust him."

"How? All his other information has been good." I reminded him. My body felt weighed down by defeat. Two aurors, hiding in a closet. "Breaker was right there. I can't believe he got away. I should've fought harder, I should've…done something."

"You did everything you could. Sometimes they get away. Sometimes they don't." Graves said quietly. "So we try again. As many times as it takes."

"I know." I sighed, trying to shake the thought away before I began to beat myself up.

Across from me, Graves was loosening the first two buttons on his shirt, tugging his collar open. I swallowed hard, tearing my eyes away as my mind drifted back to the moment in the bar when I felt his hand on my knee. My skin grew hot at the thought. It was a distraction from her current predicament, but not the one I needed.

"You're blushing." He said suddenly, and I tried to act indifferent beneath his watchful gaze. Tried so very, very hard.

"It's warm in here." I answered as nonchalantly as possible.

"Is it?" He murmured, and as our eyes met I knew he knew exactly what I was thinking about.

He stepped forward, which in our tiny space meant he was almost now pressed flush against me. His hand lifted and I felt his thumb brush across my lower lip. My heart lodged itself into my throat as I tried not to react, though even just that simple touch had sent a thousand shivers rippling through me. He lifted his eyes and our gazes met for a long, breathless beat. The sudden tension in the air between us crackled as his gaze burned into me.

He leaned forward, and my entire being went rigid with surprise. But instead of his mouth meeting mine, his lips hovered teasingly just inches from my own. "Tell me to stop and I will." He whispered against my lips.

Only I didn't want him to stop…I wanted him to kiss me. I didn't stop to think about whether or not it was a good idea. Instead, I raised myself up onto my tippy toes and pressed my mouth to his. His reaction was instant.

I felt the whisper of his fingers along the column of my throat, his thumbs brushing against my jaw on either side, tilting my face up. My arms slid around his neck, fireworks exploding inside my head as his mouth moved fluidly against my own. His tongue pushed its way between my lips as he simultaneously pressed me against the closest wall. I let out a gasp of surprise, the sound making his grip tighten as his hands found their way to my hips.

Our mouths moved together in perfect synchronization and there wasn't an inch of space between us. i could feel every bit of his muscled torso even through the fabric of his vest and shirt. And still his hands continued their journey, running over the soft fabric of my dress until his fingers reached the hem and brushed against my bare skin. I felt myself melting into him as he bunched the fabric in his hands and pushed it further up my legs. I tried to hold onto some rational thought, some line of reasoning to justify what we were doing but nothing came.

As suddenly as it started, though, he pulled himself away from me. We were both panting for air, the hunger in his eyes making my stomach dip.

"Oh crumbs." I whispered and amusement flickered across his face. "What the hell was that?"

He shook his head. "I don't know what you started when you kissed me back in the bar, but stopping is going to be very, very difficult for me."

My mouth fell open. "It is?"

I realized his hands were still curled around the hem of my dress. His fingers skimmed my skin as he released me, stepping back and smoothing his clothing. "Later. Right now, we should get out of here."

I felt flabbergasted as he stepped away and leaned close to the door, listening closely. Convinced we were safe, he slowly opened the door and looked out before motioning for me to follow him. I hurriedly fixed my dress, trying to flatten my hair, though there wasn't anything I could do about my kiss swollen lips. A part of me wanted to laugh at how absolutely absurd everything was…we'd been running for our lives from an incredibly dangerous wizard only to end up kissing in a closet. A closet. Like we were back to being teenagers at Ilvermorny, sneaking into broom closets when the professors weren't watching.

Out in the hall, Graves was peering out the window toward the fire escape. "I think they're long gone now. We'll head a few streets over in the opposite direction. Apparate from there."

How was he acting so…so normally? After what we had just done? When he looked back at me, it was all I could do not to turn fire engine red at the thought of what his hands had been doing to me not ten minutes ago. "What are we going to tell the president?" I asked. "About Breaker, I mean…Not about the…the uh..the other thing."

"The truth. That Breaker got the jump on us and we were outnumbered." He answered. As he brushed past, he stopped and leaned closer and dropped his voice. "I'll leave out the part where you seduced me."

"Seduced you?" I repeated incredulously, much louder than I intended and quickly looked over my shoulder out the window before lowering my voice. "I did not seduce you, Percival Graves."

He didn't answer me, continuing on down the hallway leaving me to catch up. The stairway door was hanging from its hinges, scarred with scorch marks. I tugged my lower lip into my mouth, biting it to keep myself from saying anything else that would surely only lead to yet another illusive answer. Yet as I stepped through the doorway, his hand grabbed mine, slowing me to a stop.

"You're thinking too much, Rush…we're both alive, aren't we? And I can think of worse ways to spend time locked in a closet. Although perhaps next time we can find a nicer closet, while we're not being hunted down by wizards."

Next time. The words danced in my head, over and over again. There was going to be a next time. And as his thumb brushed my knuckles, tugging me along after him over the shattered rubble of the doorway, there was only one word I could think to utter at a time like this.

"Oh crumbs."


	6. Last Time- Percival Graves

**Pairing** : Percival Graves/OC

 **Request** : "anonymous asked:  
Hey! I was wondering you could do a percival graves x muggle!reader where he goes to her after a battle eventhough they have broken up ? ( basically somethimg angsty hahah)! Slight smut? ﾟﾒﾓ"

 **Warnings** : All the angst. All of it. I'm not responsible for what happens to you after you read this, I'm just saying. Other than that, there is slight, slight smut. I wouldn't even consider it smut tbh, but you know. Just covering my butt.

I really loved writing this 3 I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

The house was silent as I slipped inside, closing the front door behind me. My feet were killing me after another long day of work and all I wanted was to crawl into bed and close my eyes. The days felt achingly long anymore, each one fading into the next without any real sense of purpose or passion. My zest for life had vanished the moment he had walked away, like he had taken a piece of myself with him. I sagged back against the door, letting my purse strap slip from my shoulder before it plummeted to the floor. Even now, after almost two months, he was still a lingering presence in my thoughts.

I heaved a sigh and dropped my house keys into the dish near the front door, tugging out my hairband as I walked up the steps to my bedroom. My fingers raked through my hair, combing out my ponytail as I padded down the carpeted hallway. The walls were bare, blank except for a coat of soft yellow paint. He had been the one to suggest it, claiming the house needed to match my sunshiny personality. Except now it had been weeks and I felt like I was living in a world of endless night. How was it possible to love someone so much, yet feel so much pain at just the thought of their name?

* * *

The door to my bedroom creaked open on rusted hinges, and my body froze in the doorway. I almost missed the silent, bowed figure sitting at the foot of the bed. Silver moonlight slanted through the window, illuminating him in a soft glow of light. I felt like the breath had been sucked from my lungs and had to lean against the doorway for support. Even from where I was standing, I knew it was him. I recognized the curve of his jaw, the broad set of shoulders, and the beautiful, dark chocolate colored eyes as he lifted his gaze. I pressed a hand to my chest, massaging the ache there, though I knew it would never fully heal.

"Percival," I whispered. "What are you doing here?"

He was silent, head bowed and hands folded together as if in prayer. A long moment passed before he answered. "I needed to see you."

I hesitated in the doorway, afraid of taking a step closer, yet fighting the urge to run to him. I was somehow both thrilled and angry to see him. I had dreamed of him walking through the door so many times, yet now that he was here, a part of me wished he would go away. It would only make things worse. Saying goodbye once had been enough.

"You can't just show up here whenever you want. Not anymore. You gave up that right." I reminded him.

He heaved a heavy sigh. "I know, I'm sorry."

I swallowed hard over a lump in my throat. My heart was beating too fast as I crossed the room and tentatively sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. I was careful to leave some space between us. Even just the smallest of touches, the brushing of shoulders, was too much. It would just remind me of what I no longer had.

"Cival…" I whispered and it hung in the air between us. I let my eyes wash over him, taking in the rumpled clothing, the untidy hair, and the scent of smoke and ash. I knew that smell. It was the exact scent that had lingered on his clothing the night he had removed himself from my life. It was the smell of battle.

I didn't know much about his life outside of what had existed between the two of us. Our meeting had been accidental, two people in the wrong place at the right time. I'd been carrying my groceries home from the store when I had turned a corner and he had barreled into me. I could remember it like it had only just happened…

 _Paper bags dropped to the ground, oranges spilling onto the pavement and rolling into the street. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, dropping to the ground to try and collect my belongings._

 _A pair of shiny shoes came into my sight before he was crouching in front of me. I'd lifted my eyes only to see the most gorgeous man I'd ever laid eyes on…perfectly coifed dark hair, peppered with gray, beautiful brown eyes, and dressed as if he'd just stepped out of the pages of GQ Magazine._

Even then, I'd noticed…there had been dark circles beneath his eyes and frown lines around his mouth. A man who'd seen and done too much. What had caught my attention, though, was the gentleness in his gaze. The polite way he had apologized before helping me gather my groceries. And then he had smiled, and I'd lost all train of thought. His eyes had crinkled at the corners in the most perfect way. I remembered thinking to myself that he was a man I would've loved to teach to smile again. I never would've imagined I'd actually get the chance.

Then I learned who he really was. A wizard. It sounded ridiculous out of context, but he had proved the truth to me more than enough times. He'd fascinated me with tricks and spells, but nothing had ever captivated my attention nearly as much as him, just the way he was. I fell hard and fast…I had only myself to blame for that. The night he left…It'd felt like a punch right to the gut. A pain I'd never known before and one that had yet to go away…

 _"Cival, please. Think about this first." I begged, wiping tears away with the back of my hand._

 _He stood stoically in the bedroom window, framed by the moonlight. His shoulders sagged at the sound of my voice, the only indication that he'd heard me. I was wringing my hands, feeling the most helpless I ever had in my entire life. Finally, he sighed and turned to face me. His eyes implored me for forgiveness, the look on his face ripping my heart to shreds._

 _"I never meant for this to happen…you have to understand, please. If we stay together, you will always be in danger. What we are, what we're doing…It's against the law. My law. We're from two different worlds. I can't let you live this way, with so many secrets and shadows. You deserve to be with someone who can show you off, who can always be by your side and give you the attention you deserve. I can never be that man. I wish…I wish I could."_

 _I swallowed hard through the tears, blinking them away as rapidly as I could. "I don't care what the law says. I love you, Percival. You are my forever person. Don't you understand that?"_

 _He crossed the room and grasped my hands in his raising them to his lips. "Of course I do, love. You are the love of my life. But I have to do this to keep you safe."_

I tried to understand, as best as I could. It didn't make it hurt any less. And seeing him again, here in my bedroom, where we had shared so many perfect moments, I felt that same hurt all over again.

"You have to go." I begged. "It's…this is too hard for me."

His hand sat on the mattress in between us and I fought the urge to cover it with my own. "I know…But you're the only thing that helps. I need you now. Please."

The desperation in his voice was what made me hesitate. Despite everything that had happened between us, the total destruction and demise of who we were together, I still loved him with every ounce of my being. Turning my back on him now, when he needed me most, I couldn't do it. He was my weakness. And I hated myself for it.

"Okay...okay, fine. Just this once."

He heaved a sigh of relief and hesitated for a moment before reaching for my hand, intertwining his fingers with my own. I stared at our laced fingers, trying to keep myself together. "Let me hold you."

My throat tightened, but I nodded slowly. "Okay."

Using the toes of my feet, I slipped my shoes off before crawling back toward the headboard. Percival followed, laying on his back. I curled into his side, resting my head on his chest. One of my arms wrapped around his waist, the other curling between our bodies. I felt his own arm curve around my shoulders, pulling me closer. The other brushed my bangs from my forehead before I closed my eyes at the feeling of his lips brushing across the top of my head.

It was quiet for a while, seconds fading into minutes as I listened to the beating of his heart and felt his chest moving gently up and down beneath me. I tangled my legs with his, our socked feet brushing together. "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked in a hushed voice, already anticipating the answer.

Just as I suspected, he grew rigid beneath me. "No. I'd rather forget. Just for a little while."

I nodded and nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck, falling into old habits and patterns. How many times had I comforted him this same way? I knew little of what went on in his world, the wizarding world, but I knew enough to know that whatever was happening was bad. He was always so exhausted, and so forlorn. Seeing him smile and laugh had been the greatest reward for me, or even just distracting him for a little while.

Warning signals were going off in my mind, and yet I couldn't stop myself from pressing my lips to his neck. I started at his jaw and continued down the column of his throat until I came to the collar of his shirt. Using one hand, I slowly undid the first few buttons, revealing the dark hair of his chest. He twitched beneath me, his arm around my shoulders tightening. I heard him sigh against my hair, and it gave me just enough confidence to continue, to silence the warning in my head.

My lips glided up his neck, nipping gently at his earlobe as my hand continued to release the buttons of his shirt until I could slide my hand beneath the thin fabric and run my fingers across his muscled abdomen. I heard him mumble my name in warning, but I was already too far gone.

He let out a groan and in a flash of movement I was on my back, Percival hovering over me. He braced himself on one forearm, the other snaking across my belly as his lips captured my own. I arched into him, frantically tangling my fingers into his dark hair.

"I miss these lips," He whispered, his lips brushing over mine. "These cheeks" -he kissed my cheek- "These eyes" -he kissed each eyelid- "this nose…this chin…this chest…these hip bones…" He named each part of my body, placing sweet, lingering kisses there before moving on until I was squirming beneath him out of breath.

There was no hesitation, no slowing down, no signs of stopping at all as his lips glided furiously against my own, making up for weeks of lost time and trying to build enough memories to last a lifetime. My hands glided over his broad shoulders, reaching his waist where I dug my fingers into his skin and wrapped a leg across his hip. His hand immediately latched onto my thigh, his pelvis grinding into mine.

I moaned against his mouth, shuddering beneath him. His grip tightened as his lips ghosted across my jaw, finding their way down to the base of my throat until he reached my collar. His mouth nipped and licked at the exposed skin above my shirt, one of his hands pushing the flimsy fabric up my stomach. His fingers slid across my bra, teasingly dipping beneath the material. It was too much but not enough. I wanted more, but knew this was a fantasy. That when it was over, he would leave. And I'd be broken all over again.

His lips clumsily found mine once again in the half darkness, hard and rough. The way that we were clinging to one another, like it might be the last time, made my body shiver beneath him for an entirely different reason. He noticed right away and froze, his hand cupping my face and thumb brushing away a stray tear.

"No, please. Don't cry. Don't." He begged, kissing my cheek.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I just—" I paused, blinking hard to hold back the well of tears building behind my eyes. "I wish things were different."

He pressed his lips together, and I watched as his eyes fluttered shut for a long moment before he answered. "Me too…every single day. You have no idea. I'd give anything…anything at all to have you forever. But this is how I keep you safe."

His words did little to keep the tears at bay and suddenly they were sliding down my cheeks unchecked. I clung to him tightly, feeling utterly pathetic but unable to help myself. He buried his face in my hair, whispering over and over again that he loved me, that it would be okay, that this was just the way it was meant to be. Each word felt like the twist of a knife in my heart. It seemed a cruel thing, for the world to push us together only to tears us apart.

Finally, after it felt like I'd dried myself completely of tears, I lifted my chin to meet his eyes. He looked agonized and helpless, and I brushed my fingers along his jaw, trying to commit him to memory. Although no memory would ever do him justice. I would never be able to capture the depth of his eyes, or the curve of his lips during one of his rare smiles, the look in his eyes when he told me he loved me…No, that was impossible.

My voice shook just slightly at my next words. "This has to be the last time. I can't handle another night like this. I can't keep saying goodbye to you over and over again, Cival. It hurts too much."

He nodded, finding my hand and bringing it to his lips to kiss my knuckles. "I know. This will be the last time, I swear. You'll never have to see me again."

My chest tightened at his words, an iron like grip on my heart. "I don't want that…I want you. But if I can't have you…" The words faded away into nothing. "I love you, Percival Graves. I love you more than I've ever loved anything, and more than I ever will. Please don't ever forget that."

For the first time that night, I saw tears spring into his eyes. He rolled onto his back once again, pulling me into his chest. "I'll never forget you, sweetheart. For as long as I live."

I bit my lower lip to stop the flow of tears and nodded. I slammed my eyes shut and snuggled into him, breathing him in and laying my hand against his chest so I could feel the steady rhythm of his heart.

"Go to sleep, love. I'll wait." He whispered softly, his warm breath tickling my ear.

I thought it would be utterly impossible to fall asleep, not while my entire world was shattering around me. All over again. Not while I was holding the man I loved for the very last time. Yet even so, slowly, I felt myself falling. The even sound of his heart was like a lullaby. My favorite one. I was teetering on the precipice of sleep and wakefulness. He would be gone when I woke up, leaving me once again with this Percival shaped hole in my life forever. The calm continued to envelope me, though, as he ran his fingers through my hair and whispered sweet words of nothingness into my ears. Then, just as I felt my self stumbling into slumber, I heard his voice one last time. That same voice that made me feel loved, protected, and all the ways a person can only ever dream of feeling in one lifetime.

"I'm so in love with you. You've given my life so much light, so much happiness." He said softly, the words hazy to my sleepy ears. "But now, I have to let you go. I have to let you find your happiness somewhere else."

I wanted to tell him I loved him, that he was my only happiness, but my lips were too exhausted to move. Instead, I wrapped my fingers around his shirt and nuzzled closer.

He left me with one final word. One last word, whispered into the darkness, to the vast purgatory between my dreams and reality. One fleeting word before he would be gone forever…

"Obliviate."


	7. Someone Like You- Percival Graves

Pairing: Percival/OC

Request: "anonymous asked:

Or something for New Year's since that's around the corner! Working late on New Year's Eve, walking our dear reader home because it's late and people are crazy in New York on NYE ... and someone realizes it's midnight, and of course you have to kiss someone at midnight, don't you?"

Warnings: SO MUCH FLUFF

A/N: Alright so...I know Graves comes off as this serious, big grump. But I'm convinced he's actually a softie deep down and just once someone to care about. So you know. Here it is. Tis the season. PS- Please send more Xmas themed ideas because I love them.

* * *

All evening, I'd been listening to the sounds of laughter and chatter as people walked past my office door. Some of them poked their heads inside, flashing me a smile and wishing me a Happy New Year. Others, like Tina, had meandered inside and begged me to come out and celebrate. She and Queenie were planning on drinking coco on the rooftop of their apartment building while they watched the no-maj fireworks. I declined her offer with a tired smile, claiming I had too much work to finish. She hadn't looked surprised…it was the same answer I almost always gave.

I didn't want to tell her the truth, to unload the pitiful reasoning as to why I didn't enjoy holidays. Especially Christmas and New Years Eve. My parents had both passed away years ago, at different times and for different reasons. They had no siblings, and I had no siblings either. Which meant I'd been without a family for almost a decade now. Naturally, I'd thrown myself into work in order to fill that void. I had first joined the Investigations Department, a subdivision of the Auror Office, right after leaving Ilvermorny. Last year, I became Deputy Director…a position I loved and was proud of. To me, there was little that was more rewarding than bringing in dark, dangerous wizards off the streets.

* * *

I was always the first one in the office in the morning, and the last to leave at night. It was a running joke that I actually never left but set up a cot in my office in order to sleep. Sometimes I considered it, as I spent more time at work than home anyways. But next to work, coming home after a long day and sitting in front of my big, bay window with a cup of coffee and a book was what I loved most.

Now, the entire floor was silent. The only sounds were the scratching of my quill against parchment, and the quiet ticking of the clock in the corner. I snuck a glance. Already past eleven. Most people were probably out, pint in hand and ready to bring in the new year with a bang. I leaned back in my chair, letting out a yawn. Perhaps it was finally time to call it a night. I began organizing the papers on my desk, trying to arrange them into neat piles for when I came back after the holiday. I sighed a little. I'd almost forgotten there was no work tomorrow. To me, that spelled out a particularly long day of itching to be back in the office.

I pushed my chair away from my desk and stood, turning to grab my coat from the hook behind my desk.

"Why am I not surprised to see you still here?"

A smile automatically lifted the corners of my mouth. I turned back around to see Percival Graves, Director of Magical Security, standing in the door of my office. He slid his hands into the pockets of his trousers and leaned one shoulder against the doorjam. The silver tie around his neck had been loosened, the sleeves of his black dress shirt rolled up to reveal his muscular forearms.

"I could say the same thing about you, couldn't I?" I teased, sliding my arms through the sleeves of my navy blue peacoat. I received a rare smile in return.

I'd grown fond of Percival over the past year, although this wasn't something I had ever shared with anyone. At first, he'd intimidated the daylights out of me, with his unwavering confidence and authoritative presence. I'd learned quickly that most of my co-workers felt the same way. But then I'd gotten to know him. He was the only other person I knew of that worked as late as I did, and sometimes I often found myself wandering past his office late at night when I was feeling lonely or in need of a distraction. Polite conversation had turned into long talks over coffee, and long talks had turned into a friendship built over late nights and dinners eaten out of to-go containers. I knew I'd been given something rare, a side of Percival Graves he didn't share with anyone else. It made me happier than I would've liked to admit. To say I now harbored somewhat of a juvenile crush on the man was an understatement. This was yet another secret I kept to myself.

Still, the sight of him standing there, tall and lean with his slicked back hair and tiny smile meant just for me, made my pulse soar.

"Thought you might make an exception and go out to celebrate." He said, and I recognized the subtle sarcasm in his voice.

I rolled my eyes, draping my scarf around my neck. "When have you known me to ever use a holiday as an excuse not to work?"

We exchanged knowing smiles, and I was thinking about how we had spent Christmas Eve pouring over files in his office, while eating the leftover chicken I'd made the night before.

"You headed home? Why don't you let me walk you?" He asked, straightening up.

While we were friends at the office, the relationship had never left the grounds of MACUSA. "Oh no, that's okay. You really don't need to, Percival." I said quickly.

"I insist…you know how the city gets during the holidays. Especially New Year's Eve." He said, already dismissing my refusal. "I know you can take care of yourself, but what kind of man would I be if I let a lady walk home alone this late at night?" He raised a dark eyebrow questioningly.

Blush crept up my cheeks and I ducked my head for a moment, smiling against my scarf. My stomach felt like it was leaping and twirling, doing some type of intricate dance routine. "Alright fine. If you insist, I won't say no to a little bit of company."

I glanced up just in time to see him taking a few steps backward, toward the hallway. "I'll grab my coat then. Wait right here."

I nodded. "Okay."

As soon as he disappeared, I sagged back against the desk. I felt a little dazed. Not to mention silly. He was just walking me to my apartment, which was no more than a few blocks away. I could've easily apparated there, but I'd shared with him during one of our conversations how sometimes it was nice to slow down, to take in the world around me without being in a hurry to be some place else. This was the first time he'd ever offered to walk me.

A completely innocent suggestion, I chided myself. He was right after all. People did tend to get a little crazy on New Year's Eve. As soon as midnight struck, all bets were off. It was like a holiday full moon or something. I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to exhale my nerves with it. Then I straightened myself back up and tried to appear calm while meanwhile my insides were jittery as if I'd just swallowed a box of sugared butterfly wings from Honeyduke's.

A few seconds later, Percival reappeared, shrugging on a long, black peacoat with the collar turned up. There was a soft, expensive looking gray scarf draped around his neck. He was so handsome, it almost hurt to look at him. "Let's go." He said, motioning with a nod of his head for me to join him out in the hallway.

I hurried out of the office, not missing when Percival flicked his hand and the lights in the office instantly dimmed, leaving the room in darkness. I was still mastering the art of wand-less magic, and he did it with such ease. As we walked the corridors side by side, I was certain we were the only two left in the building, each office door we passed shut tightly. The rest of the lights in the building were still on, but noticeable dim. When we finally made it to the lobby, he held open the door for me and I stepped out into the cold, December night.

"Which way?" He asked, once he had followed me onto the empty sidewalk. There were no other people about, the usually packed intersection empty of traffic. Tall, black iron lampposts lined the street, illuminating the sidewalk with a yellow glow.

"Just a few streets this way." I pointed in the direction of my apartment and we set off.

We walked side by side, our shoulders brushing against one another, passing by the dark windows of shops and bakeries, though loud shouts and laughter spilled out of bars and pubs. The sound of people getting ready to celebrate, happiness filling their voices. I snuck a glance at Percival, admiring the defined curve of his jaw. I wondered what was going on in that head of his. He could be so quiet at times.

"So," I began. I bravely gave him a playful bump with my shoulder. "Any New Year's resolutions?"

He rolled his eyes, looking amused at my question. "That's a tradition I've never been able to understand…people making ridiculous, grandiose promises to themselves only to break them within a month."

I laughed. "I'm sure some people end up keeping their resolutions…a very, very small percentage."

He gave me a curious look as we strolled. "You don't make resolutions, do you?"

I shrugged my shoulders, burying my hands in my pockets to keep them warm. "I used to. A long, long time ago. Silly things, like eating less take-out, or going to bed at a decent time…"

"You? Go to bed at a decent hour? With all the coffee you drink, I'm surprised you sleep at all." He gave me a smirk, and my heart swelled a little.

"And with all the late night pastries you eat, I'm surprised you don't weigh as much as a house." I grinned at him and to my delight, he let out a laugh. A real one, deep and melodic.

"Point taken."

There was a moment of content silence before he spoke again. "If we're being honest, I'm always a little surprised to find you working late each night. Especially on holidays."

My eyebrows furrowed together as we stopped briefly to look both ways before crossing an intersection. "Why's that?"

"Because. You're intelligent, witty, beautiful…I could go on. It just has never made sense to me that someone like you would choose to be alone." He said softly.

It was like his words had taken on a life of their own, sneaking inside me and filling me with a pleasant warmth. I was speechless for a moment, unsure of how to respond. I let out a thoughtful hum before gathering my thoughts. "How do you know I choose to be alone? I don't have any family, you know that. I work too much to have friends, or…or anyone really."

"Someone like you shouldn't be alone. You deserve to have someone. That's all I mean." He continued, casting me a sideways glance. "I've met many, many people throughout my lifetime. None quite like you though."

We slowed to a stop at the next corner, waiting as a car idled in the intersection before it crawled past. Even after it was gone, though, my feet didn't seem to want to move. Percival tugged on my arm, turning me to face him. There was a fascinated look in his eyes and it suddenly felt hard to breathe. At some point, snow had started to fall. Soft, gentle flakes that floated lazily to the ground, reflecting the light from the nearest lamppost. They stuck to his dark clothing, peppering his hair with bits of shimmery white.

"I don't know what to say," I began, shaking my head. "Thank you, I think. No one…no one has ever said anything like that to me before. Actually, I feel as if I should've thanked you a long time ago. Going off your honesty…you make me feel less alone, Percival. I just thought you should know that." The words were spilling out of me, tumbling from my lips faster than I'd intended until they abruptly stopped and I was staring up at him with red cheeks. I pulled my hands from my pockets, nervously clasping them in front of me.

He looked like he had more to say, but any words were interrupted by the sudden shouts coming from inside a bar across the street. It took me a moment to realize they were excitedly counting down from ten and when they got to one, the entire pub erupted into cheers and shouting.

"Midnight already. Another year." I smiled, looking from the bar and back toward Percival.

"Hm." He hummed, his fingers squeezing my hand. "Isn't there another New Year's tradition I'm forgetting about." His eyes had a playful glint to them and my pulse jumped as I realized what he meant.

"A midnight kiss?" I suggested breathlessly.

"That's it." He said, with a nod. "And here it is New Year's, at midnight. While I'm not exactly a man who holds with traditions, it seems wrong to just ignore this particular one."

"Very wrong." I agreed, my voice just above a whisper.

His eyes locked on mine as he took a step closer. I wasn't sure my heart had ever pounded so fast in my entire life. My eyes swept across his face, noticing for the first time the tiny scar on his forehead, and his eyes, not just brown but a dark rich color that reminded me of hot chocolate.

His hand moved to cup my cheek, his fingers warm against my skin. "May I?"

I nodded slowly, my heart beating against my ribcage like a caged bird as I tried to figure out how it was that this man, this perfect, beautiful specimen of man, wanted to kiss me?

My thoughts scattered as his fingers slid down the side of my neck, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw. He bent his head and my eyes fluttered shut as his lips brushed teasingly against mine. It was the slightest, softest of touches and ignited something me I had forgotten existed. My hands reached up to curl around the collar of his jacket, tugging him closer.

His mouth moved against mine, slow and gentle before he nipped at my lower lip and coaxed my mouth open with his. Then his tongue was sliding in between my lips and I felt my body automatically melt against him. His hand was on the back of my head, fingers threading through my hair. As a soft sigh of contentment escaped my lips, he pulled me against him harder.

My hands drifted up to his jaw to gentle cup his face as I felt his own fingers begin to follow the curves of my body, trailing electricity everywhere he touched and making me feel the most alive I had in years. I was lost in him, dizzy from his touch, his taste, and the sweet smell of his aftershave. For a few blissful moments, I forgot about where we were.

It was perfect. _He_ was perfect.

The sound of a speeding car rushing past finally broke us a part. I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed as the kiss ended. Our foreheads leaned together for a moment before he brushed his nose against mine and straightened up. The way he was looking at me sent a thrill through me, filling me with warmth from head to toe.

His hand lifted and brushed my bangs, sweeping them to the side. "What are you doing tomorrow?" He asked suddenly.

My eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh, um…nothing really, I suppose."

I felt my face flush at the sight of his answering smile, easily the most handsome man I'd ever laid eyes on. "Spend the day with me."

My mouth slowly curved into an astounded, answering grin. "Of course." I half-laughed, trying and failing to suppress my giddiness. I stood up on tippy toes and wrapped my arms around his neck as I buried my face into the crook of his shoulder. I inhaled, breathing in his sweet, pepperminty scent. "Happy New Year's, Percival." I whispered, pulling away just enough to press a kiss to his chin.

"Happy New Year's, gorgeous."

Then, he pulled me close and I was lost in him all over again as his mouth captured mine in another weak-knee inducing kiss.

I forgot about my loneliness. Forgot about anything and everything but him.

Nothing else seemed to matter as we kissed on a quiet street corner, on New Year's Eve, in the middle of a New York snowfall.


	8. Bother me (Part One)-Percival Graves

Pairing: Percival Graves/OC

Request: "anonymous asked:

hey could you please write a percival graves imagine where you and him absolutely hate each other but everyone thinks you're perfect together and just need the two of you to see it?"

Warnings: None much :)

A/N: Loved this idea! Tweaked it a little to make it work for me, so I hope it turned out alright! Once again, I made it too long so I split it into two parts. I just get so carried away, guys.

* * *

The air inside the conference room was thick with tension and tight-lipped silence. Madam President sat at the head of the long, oak table while the rest of the investigative team filled in the seats around her. I chose to stand, leaning back against the nearest bookcase. I'd learned to have a love/hate relationship with our weekly meetings. Emotions always seemed to run high, nothing ever truly getting accomplished. Yet, I'd never missed one. Grindelwald was the first big case I'd been assigned to. I was determined to be the one to finally bring him in.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, focusing my attention on President Picquery as she carefully folded her hands across the table and addressed the room.

* * *

"Grindelwald has been wreaking havoc all over this nation for far too long. Just last month we had to obliviate the memories of over a dozen no-majes after he was seen performing curses in broad daylight." She began, speaking with her usual, calm demeanor. "His following continues to grow each day, manipulating and coercing the weak-minded into believing a war between magic and non-magical kind is the only answer. So now, the question becomes, what do we do next?"

"Where was Grindelwald last seen?" I asked. I stepped forward into the center of the room and every pair of eyes turned toward me. Including those of the tall, sharply dressed man sitting directly to my left. I was more aware of his lingering stare than any of the others, though I chose to ignore it.

"We have it on good authority he's been hiding out somewhere near the D.C. area." A gray-haired man next to Madam answered. I recognized him as the Head of the Department of Investigations. "He's been sighted several times within the last week."

My pulse leapt with the excitement. All it would take would be one well-organized team to silently infiltrate the city, find him, and take him down. It was our chance. Yet just as quickly as that spark of possibility had been formed, it was snuffed out at the sound of two words.

"How good?"

I groaned internally, rolling my eyes toward the heavens. I didn't even have to look to know it had been Graves. Of course he would be the one to produce a counterargument. After all, didn't he always? I was convinced the man lived to be my personal human headache. I finally looked at him and he met my gaze for a fleeting moment before turning back to address the president. Next to her, the Head of Investigations looked nervous at having been addressed by Graves. It was a common reaction, although one I had never understood. While he elicited mostly irritation for me, never once had I felt intimidation.

"We've had several positive identifications, Mr. Graves sir. One of our top field agents has been briefing us daily."

I placed my palms face down on the table, leaning forward. "Then I say we send a squad right now." I interrupted. "Catch Grindelwald by surprise before he catches wind of us."

Graves heaved a disgruntled sigh. The feeling was mutual. "Doesn't anyone else find this a little too convenient? This man has been flying well beneath our radar up until this past month. Why risk being seen now? It makes no sense." He back in his chair and lifted a hand to cup his chin.

I let out a humorless laugh. "Really, Graves, are you suggesting that Gellert Grindelwald wants to be seen? Just what would be the reasoning behind that. Please, enlighten me."

"Here we go." A voice muttered from across the table.

For as long as I could remember, I had been one of the only members of the investigative team who felt the need to stand up to the "legendary" Percival Graves. We'd butted heads from the moment I'd been assigned as Captain of the Magical Reinforcement Squad. Which really was just unfortunate for everyone else within our department, as not a day passed where Graves and I weren't pushing each other's buttons.

While others found his authoritative presence daunting, I found it vexing. Although if I were being completely honest, then I also found it a little refreshing too. He was good at his job. Possibly one of the best aurors the MCUSA had ever seen. Even before I'd joined up with department, I'd known who he was…a man who was a natural at wand-less magic, highly intelligent with a gift for persuasion. It'd only felt right for someone to finally come around and shake up his world a little. Thought that truly hadn't been my original attention. We just disagreed…on almost everything.

I glanced back at Graves just in time to see him tilt his head slightly to one side, raising his eyebrows as if silently asking me if this was an argument I truly wanted to have. I stared back. Yes, yes it was.

"He wants to engage the law. Maybe use MCUSA as a power display, to show everyone else just how strong he is. If he could find a way to best us, it would certainly draw in more followers." Graves shrugged.

I removed my hands from the table, instead placing them on my hips. "Or more likely, he's gotten arrogant and careless. This is not a man who is interested in pointless power plays. His agenda is much, much bigger than that. Our best plan is to act now."

No one else dared to interrupt, watching the contest unfold in front of their eyes. Graves pressed his lips together, placing a hand on his thigh and drumming his fingers. Finally, he shook his head. "So are you speaking for your entire squadron, or is this your own destructive thought process? With all due respect, Captain, patience has never been one of your strong suits."

I snorted. "Please. And action, it would seem, has rarely ever been one of yours. I'm sorry if I don't see the benefits in sitting around and doing nothing."

He gave me a sarcastic, tight-lipped smile that I happily returned. Madam President stood abruptly from her seat, silencing both of us. I bit back the retorts that had been dancing on the tip of my tongue.

"Enough!" She announced, her eyes flashing between Graves and I. "This pointless arguing will get us nowhere. As far as I'm concerned, this meeting is over until the two of you can figure out how to work through your differences. I refuse to waste any more time catering to you incessant need to bicker."

"Madam, this man won't see reason. Trust me, I've tried." I implored, stepping toward her.

"I'm unreasonable? Really?" I heard him mutter underneath his breath. I bit my lower lip to keep from saying something I'd regret later.

"Captain, I believe I've made myself clear. You and Mr. Graves will work this out amongst yourselves. Until then, meeting adjourned." She said in a voice that left no room for argument.

I let out a breath through my nose, spinning around to narrow my eyes at Graves. He looked completely unfazed as he stared calmly back. He carefully licked his lips before speaking. "Let me know when you've decided to see things my way, Captain."

I widened my eyes, giving him an incredulous stare. "Your way? Your way? I'm not even going to dignify that with a response, Graves."

He stood from his chair, smoothing the creases in his shirt. "Why? Can't think up another witty response?"

"No, I just don't want to waste any more of my precious brain power arguing with you." I snapped.

The rest of the meeting-goers filed out of the room, some exchanging interested looks between Graves and I, others sighing loudly and murmuring amongst themselves. Then it was just the two of us left. I knew would've been lying if I'd said it was something of an anomaly. As much as the man drove me insane, a part of me looked forward to our heated exchanges. He was one of the only people I'd ever met who could keep up with me rapid train of thought, easily matching my repertoire of comments with ones of his own. I felt like he was constantly challenging me. On everything. I always happily accepted.

"I doesn't have to be an argument." He said, crossing his arms over his chest as he casually leaned against the table. "You just always seem to want to make it one.

"Only because you always give me a good reason to." I had to lift my chin to meet his eyes. Although my gaze flickered to his hands as he began rolling up the sleeves of dress shirt. For some reason the sight of his forearms distracted me from continuing my train of thought. It seemed completely unnecessary for him to be both attractive and a pain in my ass. Often, it was a little confusing.

"Well, you don't exactly make it easy to agree with you when act so hostile all the time." Graves answered. I was finally able to pry my eyes away from his arms to lock eyes with him. I knew he'd noticed my eyes lingering just a little too long…just as I sometimes noticed him watching me when he thought I wasn't looking.

I didn't want to think about what that meant.

"Yes, I'm very hostile. Why don't you come find me when you're ready to have a real conversation about this, hm?" I perked an eyebrow, then whirled on my heel. If he thought I was going to be the one to cave first, then he certainly didn't know me well at all. No, he would be the one coming to me with a peace treaty. Not the other way around.

I didn't head to my office right away, but instead did a few laps around the building until the tension from the meeting wore off. I made sure to stop down in the mailroom to say hello to Queenie, who was always able to put me in a good mood with her sweetness. It was impossible for anyone to dislike her. I made a few other stops along the way, biding my time because I knew the second I was back in my office, Graves would appear to finish our conversation. I needed time to collect myself and refuel before then.

I stepped onto one of the lifts, the golden gates sliding shut behind me. I stood silently amongst the other passengers until I'd reached my floor. My office was one of the last rooms at the end of the hall on the Department of Magical Security floor. Graves had his own grand office just a few doors down, though we refrained from visiting each other as much as possible. Most of our conversations were usually held in the hallway, the conference room, or on our way some place else.

When I pushed open my office door, though, I was surprised to see there was already someone waiting for me. Tina was sitting in one of the plush arm chairs in the corner of the room. She beamed when she saw me and I felt myself instantly relax, grinning back at her sheepishly.

"Are you here to scold me for ruining another meeting?" I asked, sliding off my black blazer which left just my tailored pinstriped dress pants and white sleeveless blouse.

She shrugged her shoulders, picking up a glass remembrall from the end table next to her, studying it with vague interest before putting it back down. "No, actually. I'm here to try and figure out, for the millionth time, why you get so much enjoyment out of pushing that man's buttons."

I furrowed my eyebrows together. "Enjoy it? What makes you think I enjoy it?" I asked. "Why would I enjoy never getting anything accomplished because that stubborn man always has to find a way to negate me?" I began shuffling the mountains of papers on my desk, pushing them aside. Once I had cleared a space, I hopped up on the edge of the desk, feet dangling a few inches from the floor.

Tina, my closest friend at MCUSA, was constantly trying to get me to admit to actually liking arguing with Graves. I wasn't going to try and explain to her that enjoy wasn't exactly the correct word. At least I didn't think it was. I certainly didn't enjoy having him constantly breathing down my neck, questioning everything I did. I didn't enjoy him throwing a wrench in all my brilliant plans. Rather…it just gave my days a little extra 'oomph'. He kept me on my toes, just further feed my growing need to be the best. To prove, as the first woman captain of the squad, that I was more than capable. Not just to him. To everyone.

"You don't ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, you create arguments with him for the sake of arguing?" Tina asked, crossing her legs at the knee.

I groaned a little. "Merlin, you're starting to sound like him a little." I grabbed a stack of papers from desk that needed my signature. "Every argument has an important reason."

What she said next, though, floored me with its utter ridiculousness.

"Personally, I think you fancy him a little."

My mouth fell open slightly, my quill drooping in my hand. "Excuse me?" I actually laughed. "Have you been hitting the fire whiskey a little too hard this morning"

She rolled her eyes before continuing. "I'm serious! The way you two look at each other…it's like I don't know if you want to kiss or curse one another." She continued with a shrug, and I was leaning forward wondering if perhaps she was playing a joke on me. "I wouldn't blame you for fancying him…he's handsome. Not to mention brilliant. Almost as brilliant as you. You'd make quite the couple."

I held up my palm to silence her. "I'm sorry, what now? No. Just no to everything. Where is this even coming from?" I asked with exasperation.

A hint of smile appeared on her lips. "Just observation. I'm not the only one you know…I'm not supposed to say anything but there's a running bet on how long it takes for you two to finally get together."

I was shaking my head, dumbfounded. The idea of Graves and I….I couldn't even allow myself to finish the thought, it was so ridiculous. Of course he was attractive. He had great forearms, not to mention hands, and basically everything else. Anyone with eyes could see that, but that certainly didn't mean I was going to just…to just…to do what? I squeezed the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger. "Tina, I think you've broken my brain with your absurd questions. I can't even complete a single thought right now."

"Because I've planted a seed, haven't I? Now you're wondering if I'm right."

"No," I answered pointedly. "I'm wondering if I should revoke your rights to visiting my office.

She merely grinned at me mischievously, though the conversation was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Tina's eyes went a little wide and I turned my head to see none other than Graves himself standing in the doorway. For a horrifying moment, I wondered if he'd overhead our conversation, but his expression gave nothing away. He looked just as poised as always.

"Don't you have some place else to be?" I asked, straightening up.

"I was hoping we could have a moment to speak." He said, eyeing Tina pointedly.

"Oh, of course. Sorry, Mr. Graves sir." She said, hopping up off the chair. Her voice had taken on that polite respectful tone she had reserved for certain persons. She swept out of the office, but I didn't miss the knowing smile she shot me from over her shoulder.

Then Graves was shutting the door behind her, leaving us alone.


End file.
